Protection
by shadowed one
Summary: When a new villain makes his presence known, makes an attempt on Kim's life and stubbornly continues to pursue and try to kill her, Global Justice falls to only one improbable and very risky option... hire a certain mercenary as a bodyguard. Kigo story.
1. Chapter 1

_**I've been thinking about putting up a Kigo story for quite some time now, but I've been reluctant since I was juggling two other stories at that time. One of those stories has already been completed, but I was still reluctant to start on this particular story because of how busy I am in university. Thankfully, I decided to push through with this (with some constant annoyance from a friend of mine who's a Kigo fan).**_

_**I hope all of you enjoy this story!**_

* * *

**Protection**

_Chapter 1: "A Startling Offer"_

Her heart wrenched ever so painfully as she finally forced herself to look into those jade green orbs. She never thought that she was capable of feeling this awful amalgam of emotions being the villain she is. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way... It was just a job! A job that she took with much reluctance in all honesty. The infamous Shego, master thief and mercenary and of former glory of Team Go was only in it for the huge paycheck offered to her if she took the job. Well... There was also the other side deal that would give her immunity from the police and to some extent partial immunity from Global Justice. But those eyes! Even her will of stone, smooth and impenetrable, could not enable her to rip her gaze away from those jade green orbs filled with confusion and expectance. She had been found out and now she had to pay the price. She couldn't afford to be swayed by these trifling feelings within her... She just could not.

"Princess... Please... I can't," Shego whispered, her tone of voice a mixture of harshness and bordering begging. She was sitting on the ground, limply leaning against the stark wall. "I must not," she reiterated, her voice falling as her arch nemesis kneeled between her outstretched legs on the floor.

"I have to know, Shego," the redhead said softly. "There's something I have to find out."

"There is nothing, Kimmie." The pale green-hued villainess finally wrenched away from that piercing gaze. It had already become unbearable for her to be subjected to this kind of treatment. She hated it that she was showing weakness especially in front of the very person who induced it.

"Just this once, Shego." She inched closer, hands travelling slowly upward, lightly gliding across the smooth pale green skin of the older woman's cheeks. "Let me be the judge of that."

Then... Shego was engulfed by an intense heat... Innocence and sweetness twined with each other in a sunburst of heat, almost believing that it was even hotter than her powers of plasma. The raven-haired villainess willed herself to pull away from the delight-filled sunburst. She could not go down this path. It would never happen because of the sole reason that they were from different worlds. She had to remind the hero that the order of things will remain... that they exist on extreme sides like opposite sides of a coin and that nothing can be done to change it.

She did the first and only thing that came into her mind… she bolted up to her feet and ran.

* * *

It started rather innocently. Drakken and Shego had just been awarded and recognized as heroes of mankind after the attempted takeover by a duo of hulking aliens. The blue-tinted scientist realized that the life of a renowned hero weighs heavier in contrast to the life of an infamous mad scientist. The now good doctor currently works for the United Nations, tasked to create various inventions for the benefit of various sectors of society. As for Shego, the hero kind of life was alluring for the first few weeks, but the life filled with fame and expectations soon became too rich and tasteless for the palette of the green-hued villainess. There was no need for her to work for Drakken anymore since both the United Nations and the government were funding all his projects.

She already expected the uproar and disappointment from society when she made her decision and ultimately went back to her criminal ways. Shego had made her comeback by robbing a newly built high-security bank. Despite the high-tech security system the facility boasted, the raven-haired woman was able to bypass security without triggering the alarm. Hiding in the shadows of a plain-looking building's rooftop, Shego watched with a content smile as the baffled authorities faced an evidence-free crime scene and withstood the complaints of the bank owners. Of course, the succession of crimes was eventually pinned on her mostly thanks to Global Justice's involvement with the increasing crime rate. They figured that Shego's disappearance and short-lived transformation to good had something to do with the recent crime sprees.

Perhaps the only good thing about the involvement of the said organization was the lack of presence of a certain redhead. It was a great curiosity to the former Go City hero since her arch-nemesis would usually be behind her heels once Global Justice informs her of Shego's rampage. As it turned out, Kimberly Ann Possible was rather busy especially since she was bound to attend a renowned university. Rather than stay in her hometown of Middleton, the teenaged hero decided to take up the scholarship offered to her by Go University. Why Go University? It was closer to home compared to Harvard and New York University. Besides, Go University had a world-renowned course on European Studies, which produced numerous big-named diplomats and ambassadors. Not to mention it suited Kim's line of work perfectly since she is expected to travel around so much. What her family and friends didn't expect was her decision to also take up another major, Business Administration. Her parents dissuaded her to opt for just taking a minor in the said course instead, but their headstrong daughter refused. Nevertheless, they were proud parents of a hero who was majoring both in European Studies and in Business Administration on a full scholarship.

Shego didn't really care much when she found out about Kim's plans. She'd certainly steer away from her home after becoming a criminal again. The redhead and her brothers would certainly boost order in the city and would be a formidable team she would inevitably face if she was careless enough to commit crime in Go City. She certainly liked the thrill of going head-to-head with Kim, but she absolutely resented handling her overbearing and annoying brothers. She could do without the latter.

A few months later, the ever so evasive villainess just happened to be in the city, when the unexpected happened.

* * *

"A complete waste of time..." that was all Shego could mutter under her breath as she covertly watched the festivities below on the ground. "So much for this pit stop."

The green-hued villainess scowled deeply as she spotted the familiar blue, purple and red clad individuals parading down the crowded and confetti-strewn street. Her brothers have always loved the fame of being heroes and now they were going to bask in the ultimate kind of fame after today's events. Hego, Mego and the Wegos were going to be inducted to Go City's Hall of Fame. How about herself? Shego had already been inducted into the Hall back when she was still doing the hero business.

She had just turned twenty when a massive attack headed by their arch foe Aviarius occurred in various points of the city. Team Go had split up to tackle the attackers and as expected, Shego, the unofficial leader and the brains of the team had finished her part easily and ahead of her brothers. On her way to the aid of the twins, a bomb strategically placed in the foundations of a nearby hospital exploded as the staff and patients were evacuating to safety. The last people vacating the crumbling building were the nurses and volunteers carrying the infants.

She wasn't gifted with the power of strength like her eldest brother, but because of her cleverness or plain smarts as she liked to call it, she was able to devise a way to hold up the building for a few minutes. Unlike her brothers, the former hero had explored the limits of her comet-born powers. The raven-haired woman had found out that feeding her muscles a steady flow of her plasma, which divulges itself through the trademark fiery green energy collecting in her hands and forearms, would give her temporary spurts of super strength.

Unfortunately, she still did not know the full consequences that came with that technique in that particular point of time. She had held the whole weight of the falling building long enough for everyone to escape, but come the next day and the next two weeks, Shego was bedridden, too weak to move a single muscle in her body. Then the government decided to recognize her feat and the next thing she knew, Shego had a portrait of herself in the Hall of Fame. The newspaper's headline the next day featured a half page picture of her, bearing the weight of the building with her fiery energy covered hands with legs half sunk into concrete.

Mego had been the worst of the complainers, constantly whining at her bedside that the rest of them should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame for their work that day. It didn't make any sense that Shego would be the only person to be recognized for her efforts. Hego and the twins didn't seem to mind when they found out about city government's intention.

When she had left the hero life for the more exciting life of a criminal, Shego would often overhear the whispered conversations of people if her name had been removed from the Hall. "Oh I'm sure it's still there," she murmured, ducking into the shadows when her brothers got up to the stage. "It's probably collecting dust now in their storerooms." She scowled deeply as Hego lifted two parked cars that were in their way. Did he always have to show off his brute strength? It was exasperating. "They just don't know that I've been inducted again… inducted into the Hall of Infamy and Villains."

"Sorry for the delay!" The mayor spoke into the microphone, patting his sweaty forehead with a white handkerchief. "We'll be officially starting the induction ceremony!" He motioned to his two assistants, one holding four encased medals and the other holding framed certificates for each member of Team Go.

"Hey Hego," Mego elbowed the hulking man. "I thought you said Kim Possible was going to attend this as a special guest."

The blue-haired man leaned down slightly to speak softly to his younger brother. "She's on the guest list and she called a half hour ago saying that she was going to arrive late. Something about a make-up class."

"You think our sister is around to watch us be inducted into the Hall of Fame?" The purple-skinned man smirked looking over the crowd for signs of their treasonous sister.

"Not sis!" The twins chorused, waving to the ecstatic crowd.

"Well, you may be right about that," Hego mused, standing at attention as the mayor began his speech.

* * *

"Great work awhile ago, Miss Possible!"

"Oh it was nothing Professor Chandler! I guess being sent around the world for missions just gave me a knack for European History!" Kim replied with an enthusiastic wave.

The middle-aged professor laughed heartily. "Still have class or will you be heading back to your apartment already?"

The redhead shook her head. "I've been invited by Team Go to attend their induction to the city's Hall of Fame," she explained, glancing down at her wristwatch and noting the time with a slight frown. "I'm already rather late actually."

"You should have told me earlier that you were expected to attend the said event," the professor scolded. "I could have allowed you to cut my class… well just this once," he added, sheepishly. "I must reiterate though that you're probably one of my most brilliant students yet!" he exclaimed. "How could you manage to keep your grades up while fighting crime full time?"

Kim shrugged and tried to control her developing blush. "It's no big," she replied. "I guess that's what you get when you put a neurosurgeon and a rocket scientist together." She smiled in amusement as her professor chuckled at her comment. "Well I got to go! Hego and the rest of his brothers are waiting for me! If I'm quick I might be able to make the uncovering of their portraits in the Hall!" Kim waved goodbye to her professor and jogged down the paved path, effortlessly dodging around other students from Go University.

"Hey Kim!" A classmate of hers called from underneath the shade of a tree. The girl had dark ebony brown hair, almond shaped eyes that were a deep amber color and a tanned slim figure. Kim had met the popular, but rather soft-spoken girl in their physical education class. Kim was a cheerleader and Tai was a star football player recruited by Go University. They easily hit it off while they were made to go through a series of fitness tests. The quiet girl had easily kept up with the highly athletic and versatile Kim sparking a little competition that soon started a friendship between the two.

"Hey! Sorry I can't talk right now!" Kim called and waved at the girl. "Let's just meet up at the café tonight, Tai! Monique's in town and I want to introduce her to you!" The teen hero's best friend decided to drop out of Middleton University and move to New York to start the next semester at the acclaimed Fashion Institute of Technology. She had always known that her best friend would end up in the fashion industry especially with the way she dressed and her job at Club Banana.

"Later then Kim! Jogging later tonight?" The football player asked, retreating beneath the shade of the tree.

"Sure! I'll text you!" Kim shouted, vaulting over a bench and taking a shortcut across the lawn. She was hoping to get back to her apartment first to change into something more decent and to leave her school things before heading over to the induction of Team Go.

It was a good thing her apartment was just on the outer limits of the university. In three minutes, she had cleared one of the gates of the university and was briskly jogging towards a modest looking apartment complex. Part of her scholarship included living quarters for the eighteen year old girl. She had expected a room at one of the dormitories, but the university's administration had generously given her a spacious apartment instead. Kim raced up the stairs and swerved into the hallway with her keys in her hand. "I got to hurry!" she told herself as she let herself into her apartment. The university had certainly splurged for the teen hero. Kim's apartment boasted a fully furnished kitchen, living room, study, bathroom and bedroom. She was in the process of slipping on a nice pair of fitted black slacks and a pristine white long-sleeved polo when her kimmunicator rang. "Who could be calling me now?" Kim muttered, quickly buttoning down her shirt and flipping her auburn hair over her shoulder. "Kim here," she greeted after grabbing the device and switching it on.

"_KP! I'm downstairs in the lobby!" _The unmistakable voice of her boyfriend sounded from the communications device.

"Oh hi Ron!" Kim quickly flashed a smile at the blonde-haired boy. Ron Stoppable was still her partner in the whole hero business thing and her boyfriend too. He had expressed initial doubt and worry when he found out that his girlfriend was moving to Go City, but he eventually got used to the idea with the promise from Kim that they would meet up at least once a week. Her boyfriend was attending a culinary institute back in Middleton and was showing a lot of potential in becoming an excellent chef. From their last conversation, several renowned restaurants and hotels have called on Ron expressing interest in recruiting him. "Just give me two more minutes and I'll be right down!"

"_Sure Kim!"_ Ron replied as he petted his hairless mole rat perched on his shoulder.

After hanging up, Kim grabbed a brush from her vanity and hurriedly tied her hair back in a ponytail as she made her way out of her bedroom and towards the hall closet. She tossed the brush onto the couch as she slid the closet door open and selected a pair of heels. "Do I have everything?" she wondered aloud, checking her belongings after slipping on her shoes. Seeing that everything was in order, the teen hero exited her apartment, locked the door and headed down the stairs.

"You look great Kim!" Ron gave Kim a bright smile, holding out his arms. "Am I right, buddy?" he asked the mole rat still perched on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh!" Rufus squeaked, giving Kim a thumbs-up sign before scurrying down Ron's arm and into his pocket to allow the couple to embrace.

"Thanks! You're so sweet," Kim pecked the blonde-haired boy on the cheek, grabbed hold of his hand and towed him towards the exit. "Come on! We need to get to city hall as fast as we can!" she told him as they stepped outside into the remaining daylight.

"Relax!" Ron ordered the redhead. "We're taking your car anyway!"

"But it'll be traffic especially since they're holding a big event!" Kim replied, fishing her keys out of her pocket as she headed towards the parking lot just adjacent to her apartment. She was already at the middle of the street when she noticed a red spot on her shirt. "A stain?" she cried out. "I barely stepped outside and there's a stain on one of my dress shirts!" She raised her hand in an attempt to rub the stain off. The red spot did not disappear; in fact, it jumped to the top of Kim's hand, which made the hero's green eyes widen in realization. "Ron! Get out of the way!" she shouted, her knees bending reflexively as she prepared herself to jump out of the range of firearm being aimed at her.

"Kim!" Ron shouted, finally spotting the source of the laser atop a rooftop. "There's a sniper!"

_I know that!_ Kim thought as she flung herself to the side. If she could just get to the cover of a parked car nearby, she would be safe from the sniper's fire. The redhead was sailing through the air towards the car when she felt a flash of hot pain thud into her shoulder. Biting back a scream, Kim thudded onto the ground on her back. "I've… been shot?" She gripped her hurting shoulder and brought her hand in front of her face, the pupils of her emerald orbs diluting as she saw her own crimson blood staining her hand.

"Kim! I'm coming!" Ron shouted, his frantic footsteps getting louder and louder as he approached his girlfriend. Two more shots rang out, hitting the asphalted ground in front of Ron. "Watch it man!" He jumped back and glared up at the sniper on the roof. "Why don't you come down here and we'll settle things!" He waved his fist with an angry glare on his face. He intended to beat the unknown attacker to a bloody pulp.

Finally, the sniper chuckled, his deep voice unmistakably revealing that he was a man. "Just as I expected from the so-called lover of the Kim Possible," the sniper got up to his feet and looked down at the pair from his position on the roof. He was a tall man over six and a half feet tall and powerfully built underneath the zipped up black trench coat he wore. "I still wonder though why a boy of your stature managed to be accepted by a world-renowned hero."

"Shut up and come down here!" Ron roared. He glared up at the attacker, trying to get a better look at his face. The only thing he could actually recognize was the unruly long black tresses on the man's head. The trench coat collar was high and covered everything beneath his steel gray eyes.

"As you wish," he replied, stepping off the roof and falling to the ground ten stories below. With a grace that highly resembled that of a feline, the man landed on the ground with his knees slightly bent. He walked slowly towards the fallen redhead who was breathing hard and trying to control the flow of her blood. "I'll make this quick Stoppable," he told the furious boy. "Whatever attempt you do to try to save this girl," he pointed at Kim. "You will fail miserably. Nothing can stop me from getting what I want."

"And what is it that you want?" Ron demanded, clenching his fists and getting himself ready to call on his mystical monkey power.

The trench-coated man laughed and shook his head. "Power," he replied, clenching his fists for emphasis. "Or as other villains call it, word domination." He cocked his head to the side and regarded Ron with his steel gray eyes. "Well boy? Is that enough of an answer for you?"

"You're just one of those freaky criminals!" Ron shouted. "Well whatever! I'm going to beat you!" he claimed, getting into an attacking stance. "And if I don't beat you, which I really think is impossible, then Kim will do it!" He glanced quickly at his injured girlfriend. "When she gets better that is," he added.

"There won't be a next time!" The built man laughed hard as he stared down at the boy. "You do know why I am here?" he questioned him. "My actions earlier would have gave away my intention."

Ron's dark brown eyes narrowed in anger. "You were really trying to kill Kim?" he demanded in a shout. "Why kill her? She's just a girl going to college! Taking over the world has nothing to do with Kim!"

"Au contraire," the new and unknown villain replied patiently. "Kimberly Ann Possible has everything to do with getting world domination." He stepped towards the redhead, reached down, gripped Kim around the throat and lifted her into the air. "Kill Kim Possible and you get rid of the biggest obstacle to attain power and world domination," he explained, watching in interest as the girl struggled to breathe.

"Get your hands off her!" Ron ran forward, leaping into the air in a somersault and aiming a kick at the gray-eyed villain's midsection. As his foot connected with the man's stomach, he kicked up with his other leg at the man's arm and made him lose his grip around Kim's neck. The villain stumbled back from the hit as Ron twisted in midair. "Run Kim!" Ron told his girlfriend as he landed on his feet, knees bent low to the ground.

"I don't think so." The stretched his arm out at the blonde-haired boy.

"What are you going to do?" Ron taunted, dropping down once more into an offensive stance. "Don't tell me you're going to do a clothesline on me!" He was in the process of releasing a laugh when his voice got caught in his throat. "What the?!" He couldn't believe his eyes as the villain's outstretched arm began to shift.

Shifting seemed like such a simple term to use to describe the transformation of the man's arm. Flesh that was supposed to be firm and supple gave way to hard silver as metal partitions of flesh covered metal moved over and under before settling into its new shape. The once normal looking outstretched arm was now a large silver gun pointed at Ron.

"Surprised?" The man asked, twisting the muzzle of his gun-arm.

"What the hell are you?!" Ron sputtered. "You shot Kim with _that?!_" He pointed a shaky finger at the mechanical extension of his arm.

The man nodded his head turning his head to regard the sudden blast of police sirens. "To put it simply for you, they call me a cyborg," he replied. "But I'd rather be called Balken Steel." He shot a rain of bullets that glowed white with heat. "Try as you might, you won't be able to kill me. There's nothing human left in me to kill anyway," he added with a maniacal grin.

Ron rolled, jumped, flipped and ducked in order to avoid the barrage of bullets. If it weren't for his mystical monkey powers, he would probably be on the ground with his body riddled with bullets. He had to find an opening somehow to get rid of him before he did any more damage. _I have to protect Kim!_ He thought to himself. _There!_ Balken Steel's gun-arm continued to fire uselessly at him, bullets no longer leaving the muzzle. He had run out of ammo. Throwing himself against the wall of the apartment, Ron kicked at it to propel himself forward. "You're going down!" Ron shouted, flying through the air and throwing his fist out to meet the gray-eyed man's face.

"Idiot," the cyborg muttered as an audible click sounded. The gun on his arm disappeared and shifted to turn into a double bladed sword. Sidestepping the onslaught of the blonde-haired boy, Balken Steel rammed his knee hard up into Ron's stomach as the momentum of his wall kick kept him sailing through the air. As the boy's body bent in pain in midair, the cyborg grabbed the boy's head with his free hand and slammed him down hard into the ground, taking pleasure in hearing the familiar crunch of breaking bones. "I've done my research. This mystical monkey power is no match for me." He kicked repeatedly at the battered boy's body before picking him up. "Now why don't you take a nice nap?" 

With a yell of effort, he catapulted Ron's body into the side of the apartment building and watched him slam into the hard brick.

"No! Ron!" Kim shouted in vain as she rolled onto her knees, while still clutching at her bleeding gunshot injury. She couldn't believe it. Kim Possible was finally face to face with a villain who is ultimately ruthless and merciless.

"Ah so you finally speak," Balken mused, turning on his heels to regard the weakened hero. "You're getting rather pale," the cyborg pointed out, making his double bladed sword rotate 360 degrees as he slowly stepped towards Kim. "It's normal especially since you've lost a lot of blood."

"What are you going to do?" Kim asked, fear evident in her eyes.

"Why kill you of course!" The gray-eyed man smiled at Kim, his eyes devoid of emotion.

* * *

Back at Go City's city hall, the mayor was preparing to make his announcement to move the festivities to a reserved function room in a hotel. The induction of Team Go had gone without any trouble and now the brothers were entertaining questions from the numerous reporters and journalists attending the event.

"Looks like Kim Possible couldn't make it, Hego," Mego told his brother, posing readily for the cameras aimed at him.

Hego frowned and shook his head as the crowd around them began to increase in size. "I'm sure that she'll still be coming," he replied, putting his hands up in defense as the reporters stuck microphones and tape recorders at his face. "She'll be the reception at least."

"Will there be food?" The Wegos asked, placing their arms around each other's shoulders.

"It's a reception," Mego retorted. "Of course there'll be food!" He rubbed his eyes over his mask before turning an ear to the distant sound of sirens. "Something's happened," he observed. "Should we check it out?" he asked his eldest brother.

"Well…" Hego hesitated for a few seconds before he, his brothers and the others around them staggered at a sudden downburst of wind. "A Global Justice jet!" Hego exclaimed, looking up at the sky as the large dark blue jet hovered several feet above them. The door of the aircraft slid open to show the familiar eye-patched director of the organization.

"Team Go," Director Betty shouted from the jet's doorway. "We are in need of your assistance. There has been an attack in the area of Go University."

Hego frowned and motioned to his brothers. "Who is the attacker and has anyone been injured?" he asked, nodding an apology to the concerned mayor.

The director nodded her head. "We've seen the attacker through our satellite cameras, but he is a completely new entity. We got nothing from our databases and have no idea what he is capable of doing. As for the injured, he has successfully taken out Ron Stoppable."

"And Kim?" Hego pressed, not being able to conceal the worry in his voice.

"She's nursing a gunshot injury," the director replied, looking off at the distance with a grim look on her face. "If you don't hurry then we might be met with a lifeless body or two."

* * *

"Would you like to hear my reasons for taking this battle straight to you, Kim Possible?"

The redhead's lips twisted as she forced herself not to cry out in pain. All she could do now was continue glaring at her newest opponent and entertain him. She quickly glanced to where Ron's lifeless body lay. Inside, she was silently praying that her partner was fine, but still acknowledged that he would be badly hurt if he was indeed alive.

The gray-eyed man crossed his arms over his chest, taking care not to slice himself with his double bladed sword. "I take your silence as a yes," he answered for the hero, an amused smile forming on his thin lips. "You see Kim Possible, I've always been a patient man. Even when I was still fully human, my patience could be compared to that of a mountain… vast and unmoving." He smoothed his unruly raven hair with his remaining normal hand. "In this case, my patience became a problem," he explained. "I had been meaning to make my move to take over the world for quite some time now, but I knew that it would be not likely since you were around." He paced in front of the kneeling Kim with his arms languidly crossed over his chest. "Instead of going head on with you, I placed my bets on the other villains to take care of you."

"Coward," Kim growled, stemming the flow of her blood with her blood-soaked hand.

"Perhaps," Balken replied, looking like the insult had not taken any effect on him. "I should not have relied on the capabilities of these would-be criminals to dispose a cheerleader. Cowardice or pride?" he asked, looking thoughtfully at the wounded hero. "I'd like to say I'm an honest man so I'll say it was a little of both." His emotionless steel gray eyes locked with those jade green orbs. "In the past, I wasn't that…" he frowned, trying to look for the right word. "-confident yet of my abilities," he finished, lightly running his palm over his double bladed sword-arm. "At the same time, I did not want to make such an early appearance. There were quite a lot of villains who were vying for your attention. I'm the possessive type." He gave her another smile void of feelings. "I don't like sharing the spotlight with certain masked midgets, blue-skinned men, a real life monkey man and a father-son duo who know nothing about evil." The newest villain in town stopped pacing and grabbed hold of the front of Kim's shirt, easily lifting her off the ground. "I prefer to go one on one."

"Let go of me!" Kim cried, struggling to escape from the man's hold.

"I don't think so Miss Possible," Balken replied, easing his sword-arm up and resting the blades along Kim's smooth cheek. "The villains you fought were all rather stupid," he said with disdain, pressing down slightly and running the sharpened edge of his sword-arm down Kim's cheek. "If they had wanted to get rid of you, they should have stuck with the simplest of plans." He smiled sadistically as his blades finally drew blood from Kim's face. "A simple assault would have been sufficient, but they choose to implement elaborate plans of manipulating your mind or imprisoning you." The trench-coated man shook his head. "No matter, it will end today," he told the wide-eyed hero. He raised the girl higher into the air and brought back his sword-arm, positioning it for a direct thrust through Kim's body.

"Release her!"

A large projectile thudded into Balken Steel's mechanical arm. The villain looked up at the sky and could only grin up at the familiar letters emblazoned on the blue jet hovering above him. "Here's another party-crasher," he announced with false cheer, still not lowering his blade and keeping his hold on Kim Possible. "Come any closer and you'll be searching for a new recruit, director," he threatened the one-eyed woman aiming a large rifle at him. Suddenly, numerous footsteps sounded all around him as three different colored glows shone at the corners of his vision and over a dozen guns were pointed at him. "I see you've brought reinforcements," he said with a sigh, eying the Global Justice agents and the member of Team Go around him.

"Release Kim Possible," Director Betty ordered once again from the open doorway of her jet.

The steel-gray eyed man lifted his face to the sky and began to laugh. "I wonder who will get killed first, madam director?" he asked. "A fully armored cyborg or a mere human girl?" Throwing his opponents a maniacal grin, he flexed his arm and prepared to thrust his sword-arm through the redhead's body.

"Now Will!" The director shouted the order as Global Justice's top agent skillfully fired his watch-Taser at the back of the villain's neck. "Pulse him at full power!" She watched as the young man turned a small knob on his watch then pressed it as visible current travelled from the wires into Balken's flesh covered neck.

"Arghhh!" The gray-eyed man roared, his body went through spasms induced by the electricity running through his body. He may have been a cyborg, but his human organs and other remaining human parts were still prone to the electrical attack. He couldn't control his muscles anymore and lost his grip on Kim's shirt, dropping her to the ground as he fought against the strong current of electricity pulsing through his body.

As soon as Kim was released and on the ground, Hego swooped into action, sprinting forward and powerfully tackling the cyborg onto the ground with a spray of asphalt. The blue-haired strong man jumped out of the dust, quickly scooped the injured hero into his arms and carried her to the safety if his three brothers.

"Apprehend the criminal!" Director Betty barked, pointing at the crater created by Hego's powerful tackle. She watched in relief as her agents carefully moved towards the craters, guns pointed down. "Team Go please take Miss Possible and Stoppable to the nearest hospi-" Her voice was suddenly drowned out by deafening sound of bullets and the screams of her agents. "What the hell?!" She watched wide-eyed as each of her agents fell to the ground, bodies riddled with bullets.

"I hate it when people interrupt me," the familiar deep voice sounded from beneath the crater. As the dust settled, it was evident that Balken Steel was relatively unhurt. The assassin jumped out of the hole and stood on solid ground, stretching his neck from side to side as his two transformed gun-arms smoked from the muzzle. "This fight is between me and the girl," he informed the remaining agent of Global Justice, the director and Team Go. "Hand her over," he ordered ominously.

"We're outnumbered," the director growled. "Seeing how this Balken Steel survived a deadly blast from Will Du's Taser and a tackle from Hego, I highly doubt we'll be able to beat him," she thought aloud.

"Wego!" Hego shouted, lifting a car and heaving it at the cyborg. "Multiply and surround him!" He ran to another car and flung it again in the same direction. "Mego! Now is the time to try out growing bigger! Protect Kim and Ron!"

With a scowl, the purple-skinned lanky man closed his eyes as his purple energy coated his whole body. After a few seconds, Mego began to grow slowly to a height of twenty-five feet. The twins on the other hand had run off in different directions, multiplying as they made a circle around the criminal while Hego picked up two more cars and held them poised over his head.

"Move and I fire this rocket launcher at you!" Will Du shouted from above a fire escape. "I managed to get some of your DNA after using my Taser on you. This rocket is locked onto your DNA." He looked through the scope of the weapon.

The Director of Global Justice took this opportunity to make her demands again. "Surrender now and you won't be attacked," she offered, putting a hand behind her back and pressing a button on a hidden mechanical device. She wasn't going to take any chances so she called for more reinforcements.

The assassin let out a long sigh and raised his gun-arms. Team Go and Will Du stiffened at the action, thinking that the man was going to unleash a barrage of bullets at them. The relaxed slightly when both the mechanical arms shifted and began their transformation back to normal looking hands and arms. "I guess I have no choice…" Balken stared at them, a sudden grin developing on his face. "I'll retreat for now, but rest assured I will have Kim Possible's life!" He raised his fist in the air, which was already transforming into a new type of weapon.

"Get back Team Go!" Will shouted, taking aim at the assassin and firing his rocket launcher. They watched as Balken Steel drove his metal-clad fist into the ground, opening a fissure on the road as dust and debris whirled around him. The launched rocket sliced through the smoke and made contact, exploding in a burst of flame and scattered rock. The agent jumped down from the fire escape and cautiously made his way to the blast zone with Team Go at his sides.

"Well?" Director Betty asked after lowering herself down to the ground via ropes from the jet.

The top agent of the organization shook his head. "He escaped it somehow. There should have been traces of him here if the rocket had hit its mark."

"Hego!" Mego called, already back to his original size. "We better get these two the hospital!" he gestured at the already unconscious Kim and Ron.

"Damn it!" Betty cursed, motioning for the jet's pilot to touch down. "Bring them to the jet! We'll fly them to the nearest hospital!" After making sure that Team Go, Will Du and the two injured heroes were inside the aircraft, she ordered the pilot to take off.

"This had turned out to become a serious situation," Hego observed, looking grimly at the states of Kim Possible and her boyfriend.

"To make it worse, I really believe that this Balken Steel is not done with his assaults yet," Betty replied as they flew towards Go City Hospital.

* * *

The hospital staff was struggling that day. They had not expected a jet to land on their rooftop bearing Team Go, the director and top agent of Global Justice and the two unconscious forms of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. News had travelled fast and there were now dozens of reporters trying to get into the hospital to find out what had happened. Both Ron and Kim had to be both rushed to the operation rooms, with Ron being classes an almost fatal case.

A few hours later, Doctors James and Ann possible rushed into the hospital ward with Jim and Tim in tow. Ron's parents were still on their way from Middleton. "How is she?" The neurosurgeon asked as her husband stood behind his wife with his hands on her shoulders.

Director Betty let out a tired breath and handed a clipboard to the nurse she was talking to. "Kimberly's condition has been stabilized," she informed the concerned parents. "She only attained one gunshot wound to the shoulder and a few bruised to the body. She suffered extensive blood loss though, which has already been handled care of Will Du who donated the blood for the transfusion himself."

"Will Du?" Doctor James Possible asked, looking at the dark-haired agent who was sitting against the wall and deeply breathing through the induced nausea of donating blood.

Betty nodded. "The hospital's blood bank did not have AB- blood, which is the blood type of your daughter. Fortunately, our top agent also shares the same blood type and volunteered to donate blood for your daughter's blood transfusion."

"And Ronald?" Ann asked.

"He's currently in the intensive care unit," Betty replied. "He's suffering from a shattered cheekbone, a cracked skull and two broken ribs. Team Go is currently watching over him as of the moment. For now, I'd like to discuss another matter," she told the family.

"Can it wait? I'd like to see my daughter," Ann told the director.

Betty shook her head. "It is important for I deeply fear for your daughter's life," she replied, noting the distressed looks on the family's faces. "The man who is responsible for this is a completely unknown being. We only found out today when we rescued Kim and Ron that he goes by the name of Balken Steel, a cyborg specializing in weapons, assault and assassination." She leaned against the stark wall of the hospital hallway. "Apparently, he had wanted to do away with Kim Possible immediately in order to attain his goals of evil. I'm sorry to give you this information, but this man is a ruthless and merciless killer. I'm afraid he won't stop until he snuffs the life out of Kim."

"But you can protect her!" Ann cried out, her hands clenching into fists. "You're the director of Global Justice and command a vast army of agents! I'm sure there's something or someone in your organization who could protect Kim from this madman!"

"It's not that simple. My agents are spread all over the world and have different duties to attend to," Betty explained to the doctors. "Even if I was able to assign a squad or even a legion of my agents to Kim, I am doubtful that they will be able to protect her."

"You make it sound like that there is no stopping this killer," Doctor James Possible pointed out, anger burning in his green eyes.

"That situation is not farfetched Mister Possible," Betty replied. "In all my years as a part of Global Justice, I have never encountered such a villain who can kill with ease. Even the only criminal I knew of who's very capable of killing hesitates from committing such an act and has misgivings about it."

"Then nothing can be done?" Ann whispered, clutching the front of her chest. "There has to be something…"

A doctor came out of the room and stared at the arguing adults. "Pardon me, but you could see Miss Possible now," he told them, ushering Ann and the twins into the room. While Ann and her twin sons visited the now conscious Kim, James Possible remained outside with the director.

"Well?" he asked again. "Is it just as my wife said?"

The one-eyed director let out a long sigh. "I did not mean to look like I've given up on your daughter," she apologized to the rocket scientist, scuffing her foot against the clean floor. "I've already asked Team Go to keep an eye on Kim, but even they have their own responsibilities to attend to."

"Is there anything else?" James pressed, clearly worried for his daughter's life.

"There may be a way," Betty began, kneading her temples tiredly. "But even then I am not sure if I can arrange for it and assure you that it will work out."

James Possible stepped forward and looked desperately at the director. "Please," he begged.

Betty let out a defeated sigh and fished out her cellphone. There was only one way to ensure the life of Kim Possible and she knew that it was going to be easy to strike a deal like that.

* * *

At a deserted and dark portion of Go City, Shego stood leaning against a large black racing bike. The bike was the love of Shego's life and cost her a significant fortune. She reveled in the black carbon fiber chassis of her Ducati Desmosedici GP9 bike, it twin V4 L-engines with two-cylinder stroking each and sixteen valves. It was truly a powerful machine able to reach a speed of 210 miles per hour. It had cost her a whopping 75,000 dollars and an addition 25,000 for added features and customization. Where had she gotten the money? Surprisingly, she had gotten her finances from her legal investments, proving to be not just a expert criminal, but also a brilliant investor. She was smart compared to her brothers when she was still in the hero business. Instead of splurging on the building of Go Tower and other unnecessary things, Shego had invested what she had earned in various businesses and the stock market.

In reality, Shego did not need to continue her life of crime because of her accumulating wealth from her legal investments. The life of a villain just kept her blood flowing through her veins and she certainly wasn't ready to settle down and lead a boring life. It was getting quite late. Night was fast approaching and Shego had no plans of staying in her home city. She pushed herself away from her Ducati bike and was about to mount it when a car passed by, its windows open and letting out a blast of sound from the radio.

"_-destructive attack occurred outside of Go University wounding two and killing more than a dozen of the police force sent to-"_ the radio reporter's voice died out as the car drove by the green-skinned villain.

"Interesting," Shego mused. "Looks like Hego and the others weren't able to handle this particular job properly." She shrugged and gripped the two handlebars of the large bike just as a squad of blue-jacketed and armed men surrounded her. "Tch! I haven't done a single evil thing in this city and I'm being arrested?" she growled, taking her hands away from the bike and clenching them into fists, green energy collecting and glowing around them.

"Holster your weapons, men," a woman's voice commanded from beyond the circle of men. "Calm down Shego. We are not here to take you to prison." The director of Global Justice stepped through the opening made by her men in the circle.

"Oh yeah?" Shego asked, the green plasma never leaving her hands and forearms. "Since when has the director of Global Justice ever passed up the opportunity to capture the infamous black sheep of Team Go?" Her feet slowly parted and planted themselves lightly on the ground while her knees bent in preparation to attack.

Betty let out an exasperated sigh as she took the two guns holstered at her belt and handed them to one of her agents. "Leave us," she ordered them, glaring to emphasize her point. As the men reluctantly backed away and headed down the street, Shego could not help but scowl at how things were turning out.

"I don't like this," Shego muttered, her stance still showing that she was wary and ready to attack.

"Neither do I," the director retorted. "But this is an urgent matter I must discuss with you."

For a few moments, neither of the women moved or made a sound. They merely stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move to attack. Finally, Shego relented and extinguished her green plasma powers. "Alright Miss one-eye director, what is it that you want to talk about? Make it quick." She was just about to add that she most probably won't do what she asked, but Betty had beaten her to it.

"I know I know… you most probably won't accept my proposal, but it's still worth a try and I have come up with a few good deals to entice you to acceptance," Betty interrupted, ignoring the glare thrown by those dark emerald green eyes. "Have you heard about what happened at Go University?"

"Bits and pieces," Shego replied, looking uninterested. "Some dude injured and killed a few people and destroyed quite a bit of the area." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her clawed and gloved fingers. "I hope you're not pinning the blame on me like how your goody-two shoes organization did earlier." She walked towards the director.

The director frowned and opened her mouth to remind the villainess that it was indeed her who had been the cause of the recent bank robberies and theft related incidents, but decided not to speak of it. "No, we're quite sure that the man who almost killed Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible was the one who caused trouble in that area," she said bluntly.

Shego almost stumbled, but managed to regain her balance quickly. "Did I just hear right? Kimmie and that buffoon boyfriend of hers were almost killed?" She started to laugh hard. "This is a really stupid joke, director!"

"The buffoon boyfriend was powerless despite his mystical monkey powers," Betty pointed out with utmost seriousness. "He sustained grave injuries after trying to protect Kim who had been shot by a mysterious cyborg-like man."

Shego stopped laughing. She had always known that the director was an overly serious character, but somehow the tone of voice she was using on the villain was different. It wasn't just serious, but it also bore a tone of sincerity, fear and worry. "Pumpkin couldn't have fallen to some newcomer villain! She's more than that!"

"Unfortunately, this situation didn't turn out right." Betty shook her head. "Do you need me to bring you to Go City Hospital just to see if I'm telling the truth?" she asked the stunned villainess. "Your brothers are currently keeping watch over Kim and Ron."

"Hmphhh…" Shego growled, the small ball of concern that developed in her chest faded away as soon as she heard about her brothers. "What do you need me for then? It looks like you and my brothers have everything under control."

"It would seem that way but there's the other fact that we weren't able to capture or kill this certain Balken Steel," the director explained, looking weary to the bone.

"I still don't see how I come into this picture," Shego pointed out, starting to feel impatient. "If my brothers can't protect Kimmie, then I'm sure she'll be able to defend herself when she gets out of the hospital."

"You don't understand Shego. If you had seen how this Balken Steel attacked Kim and Ron, you wouldn't be so trusting of a completely recovered Kim's capabilities to defend herself. I'm sure there'll be some trauma," Betty told the frowning green-hued woman, looking at her carefully with her remaining eyes. "I want you on bodyguard duty," she finally told the shocked villainess.

"_What?!"_ Shego roared, her hands bursting into green flame. "Listen here one-eye! I'm not just going to skip back over the line back to the good side to protect Kimmie!" She stepped forward threateningly.

"Why not?"

"Well doi!" Shego shouted, burying her glowing fist into the side of a building. "I'm a villain! She's a hero! I don't do good stuff anymore and that includes bodyguard detail!" She pulled her fist out, clenching a chunk of brick and crushed it.

"You will be given something in return if you accept the job," Betty informed the woman in a green and black catsuit.

Shego scowled and turned away, already planning to hop on her Ducati bike and race off and out of this city. "What if I tell you, I refuse?" she threw the question at the older woman.

"What if I tell you that you will be given a paycheck worth five million dollars with an initial down payment of a million and a half dollars?" Betty threw back at the raven-haired woman.

The green-eyed ex-hero stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder to regard the director of the organization that has been trying to stop her criminal activities. "That's quite a big offer to just do bodyguard detail for Kimmie," she pointed out, interest shining in her eyes. "But that's not enough for me to do it."

Betty sighed and covered a frown with her hand. She had hoped that the large paycheck would be enough to buy Shego over. "If you manage successfully keep Kim Possible alive until we get a hold of Balken Steel then you will be granted full immunity from the police all over the world."

"And?" Shego looked expectantly at her.

_This woman drives a hard bargain! _Betty thought as she crossed her arms over her chest in thought. "All right," she agreed, offering her hand to Shego. "If successful, you will also get partial immunity from Global Justice," she told the ex-hero who stepped forward and gripped her hand in a handshake. _At least until Balken Steel is dead or behind bars and Kim Possible will be ready to take you in, _she thought silently.

"I expect the down payment in my bank account by tonight," Shego reluctantly told the director. "I assume you'll be providing me with the details and equipment needed for bodyguard detail?" she asked. "I need a disguise." She eyed the director with a scowl. "I can't just let anyone especially Kim know that I'm her bodyguard! I'm still and will always be a villain and this is just a temporary job!"

"Of course," Betty agreed. "You have proven your point well and we will send you a suitable disguise or outfit while you guard Kim Possible." She ran slightly sweaty fingers through her dark brown hair. "As for where you'll stay-"

"Don't bother," Shego interrupted, putting a hand up in front of Betty's face. "I have my own place that no one knows of." She certainly didn't want to find out that the director had intentions of placing her in the same living space as her new charge. "You needn't worry," she assured the director. "Kimmie lives in an apartment on Jackson Street outside the campus right?"

"Correct."

Shego turned around and hopped onto her Ducati bike. "I live close by there so I'll be able to keep an eye on princess," she informed the director as she ignited the engines. "When do I start?"

The director looked up at the starless night sky and prayed that she had made the right choice. "Immediately."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**Well this is the first chapter. I'd like to believe that it turned out ok. Anyway, I decided to come up with this story partly because of the reason that there was a lack of villains who actually took their work seriously (hardly any brutality or Machiavellian characteristics) so I decided to come up with a new villain to help drive the plot of this story and also draw Kim and Shego together. **_

_**This is definitely a Kigo story, but there won't be any sparks until after a few chapters so bear with me for the next few months.**_

_**Next Chapter: The road to recovery and a mysterious stranger. **_


	2. Duty

_Chapter 2: "Duty"_

"Kim… try not to force yourself. You're still healing."

"I'm alright mom," Kim told her mother wearily as she shuffled out of her apartment bedroom and into the kitchen area. "I'm just sore and a bit tired." She gingerly pulled out a chair, taking care not to put strain on her injured shoulder and sat on it carefully. Four days had gone by since she had been attacked by the cyborg called Balken Steel and she was still in the process of recuperating. "I'm hoping the pain lets up by tomorrow," she confided in her mother, who had been staying with her in the apartment since she was released from the hospital.

The neurosurgeon shook her head and frowned at her daughter from over her shoulder as she prepared breakfast. "You heard the doctor's orders, young lady," she reminded the college student. "You need at least four days of rest before you could go back to school and two weeks before you start fighting crime."

Kim sighed as she leaned her elbows on the edge of the table and propped her head onto her hand. "I know mom, but I just can't stand being cooped up in the house."

"You're also to stay put under the orders of the director of Global Justice," Ann added, setting a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of her daughter. "I was just informed that you have a squadron of Global Justice agents assigned by the director herself to keep an eye on you. They'll be keeping their distance though as they attend to their other duties."

"That's a reassurance," the teen hero muttered.

"Kim!" Ann Possible let out, shocked at the girl's reaction. "At least there are people who are keeping an eye on you and ensuring your safety! As a matter of fact Team Go has also promised that they'll do their best to assist in this matter."

"Sorry mom, but I can't help but still feel worried about this." The Go University freshman rubbed her arm as she frowned down at her breakfast. "I can't sleep well knowing that there's some cyborg man who's already injured both me and Ron and is still out there to get me."

Ann's wristwatch alarm began to beep incessantly. "Oops! I have to get going Kim!" Ann shrugged on her doctor's coat and leaned down to plant a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Make sure you stay in here and try to get as much rest as you can!" With one last wave, the neurosurgeon walked left the apartment to go back to Middleton Hospital for work.

Kim slowly finished her food, battling the queasiness in her stomach. As it seemed, things weren't looking so good for her. The security that she was being given was enough of an indicator of that fact. The problem was that Kim, Director Betty and her parents knew that the squadron of agents and the presence of Team Go wouldn't be enough to keep Kim safe from harm. When she had gained consciousness, Betty had immediately informed her of the impending danger to her life, much to the dismay of the hero's parents. Kim knew that it was for a good cause. She just didn't realize until a few hours later that knowing that there's a killer on the loose would put a very heavy burden on her spirit. It seemed like every waking minute made her think about the attack and Balken Steel, which in turn made the hero restless and fearful for her life.

"Me? Scared?" Kim asked herself softly as she lay back down on her bed. "I'm Kim Possible, the greatest if not one of the best crime fighters in the world! Why should I be scared?" she demanded from the ceiling. She thought back on how her boyfriend had been brutally beaten and the healing bullet wound on her shoulder. Kim sighed and covered her eyes with her forearm. "Because a six and a half foot cyborg is too determined to get rid of me and will use any means to attain that."

Balken Steel was still at large despite the efforts of Global Justice in searching for him. It would have been even appropriate to say that the bloodthirsty man had disappeared from the face of the earth. What contributed to his fearful being was the assortment of weapons built into his body. He was a living mechanical weapon. Usually, Kim would be able to handle any criminal head on, but this particular criminal made her nervous.

Despite feeling nervous and restless, Kim was able to take a nap for a few hours, waking only to the sound of the blare of a motorcycle's engine as it raced down her street. "What time is it?" Kim rubbed her sleep-filled eyes before squinting at the digital clock on her desk. It was a little bit past one and the redhead decided to skip lunch since she was still feeling rather queasy. "I guess I'll take a shower first then try to do some homework."

She took extra long in the bathroom, using the tub instead of the shower in order to use up more time. She managed to do her make-up schoolwork for an hour or so until she gave up. The redhead was extremely bored with being cooped up in her own apartment. Trying to resist her mind's want for her to go outside, Kim plopped down on her couch and switched on the television. The supposed distraction unfortunately made her want to go outside all the more. "I think I'll go visit Ron at the hospital," she planned, remembering that it was Ron's last day at the Go City Hospital. Her boyfriend was going to be airlifted back to Middleton to continue his recovery. Quickly slipping on a pair of comfortable jeans and a green Go University sweater, Kim then made her way out of her apartment and onto the street.

"_Ahem!"_

"What?!" Kim nearly jumped in surprise as she frantically searched for the voice.

"_Kim, where are you going?"_

The teen hero fished out her kimmunicator and glared at the dark-skinned boy who appeared on the screen of the device. "You usually beep and wait for me to answer, Wade!" She frowned at the young genius who sat in front of his computer. "Since when did you decide to start doing this?"

"_Since Global Justice asked me to constantly monitor your whereabouts," _Wade replied. _"I've got you on GPS."_ The kimmunicator's screen flashed to show a map and a bright green spot on it. _"The green spot tells me what your position is and don't bother arguing with me Kim!"_ he told the now annoyed-looking hero. _"I know it's a breach of your privacy, but this is truly necessary especially with what happened recently," _he explained, his image flashing back on screen. _"Now can you tell me where you're planning to go?"_

Kim sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I was planning to go to the hospital to visit Ron and see him off before he gets airlifted back to Middleton."

"_I don't know Kim,"_ Wade said, looking hesitant. _"The director was pretty serious with her orders."_

"Just the hospital Wade," Kim begged. "I really need to get out and I do want to see Ron before he heads back home!" She gave him her famous puppy dog pout.

_"Oh all right Kim!"_ Wade finally agreed, slapping a hand over his eyes. _"One hour! No extensions and I mean it!"_

Kim nodded her head vigorously and gave the inventor a big smile. "Thanks Wade!" she told him. "I owe you for this!"

_"Will you be taking your car?"_

The redhead shook her head. "I think I'm just going to take a cab," she replied, walking down the street towards a busy intersection. "My shoulder still hurts enough to give me a hard time driving." Spotting a cab coming towards her, Kim flagged it down and hopped into the backseat. "Go City Hospital?" she asked the driver. To Wade, she asked, "Any word about the cyborg?"

_"Not much,"_ the boy replied as he speedily typed on his keyboard. _"So far I've only found out that he was a renowned scientist at the forefront of cybernetics. His real name was Balken Wainwright before he changed it."_

"It sounds like he had a really stable job," Kim commented. "I don't see why he decided to become a criminal."

The boy nodded his head in agreement. _"I'll continue my research in the meantime,"_ he told her. _"I might come across something about his background that may lead us to his eventual capture. I'll talk to you later Kim!"_

"Later Wade," Kim bid him goodbye before pocketing the kimmunicator. For the rest of the trip, Kim settled with watching the environment outside stream by the windows of the cab. The cab driver had to jar her out of her thoughts when he pulled up at the entrance of the hospital. "Thanks," she told the man, handing him a few bills before getting out and heading through the automatic glass sliding doors.

"May I help you?" the nurse at the front desk of the hospital's lobby asked.

"Is Ron Stoppable still here?" Kim shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweater.

The nurse glanced at her computer and typed a few things. "He's still here. Room 504," she told Kim with a smile. "How are your injuries Miss Possible?" She looked closely at Kim's bandaged cheek and her shoulder.

"I'm doing fine," she replied, returning the smile.

"Well that's good indeed! Now don't let me keep you here!" The nurse gestured for her to head for the elevators. "I'm sure that young man is expecting you!" she added with a wink.

Kim could not help but smile softly at that. She sort of knew anyway that her boyfriend was expecting her as she waited for the elevator to stop at the 5th floor. Stepping out into the hallway, the redhead easily spotted a doctor coming out of room 504. "Is Ron alright?" she asked as she approached him.

"Ah Miss Possible," he greeted her with a slight nod of the head and a smile. "Ronald is doing well. He's still somewhat swollen from the reconstructive surgery and has trouble breathing due to the two broken ribs."

Kim let out a sigh of relief. "So he'll be going home today?"

"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "Actually, I was on my way to the nearest phone. Ronald wishes to see you before he heads back to Middleton." He stepped away from the doorway and motioned for Kim to go inside. "I'll come back later when it's time for him to leave."

Kim gave her thanks to the doctor and quietly slipped into her boyfriend's room. The doctor was right. Ron's face was an ugly mess of bandages and swollen skin. The only normal thing about him was his slightly matted blonde hair. As she pulled a chair up to his bedside, Ron shifted.

"Hey KP!" he greeted, his voice clearly cheerful and weary at the same time. "How are you doing?" Ron smiled weakly at his girlfriend who took hold of his hand.

Kim shook her head. "I should be the one asking you that," she told him. "Where's Rufus?" She looked around the room for the naked mole rat.

"Oh he's at the nurse's lounge right now. He gets free food if he tags along with the nurses who come and go into my room," Ron replied, squeezing Kim's hand. "Kim, there's something I have to tell you before I head home."

"What is it?" Kim asked, cocking her head to the side in question.

The aspiring chef looked at his girlfriend carefully. "As soon as I'm well enough to walk, I'm going to take a leave of absence from culinary school and come here to Go City."

"Ron!" It was obvious that the teen hero didn't like the proposed idea.

The blonde-haired boy shook his head. "It's needed Kim," Ron told her. "With that freak on the loose, you don't stand a chance against him. If I'm with you at least, you have an added degree of safety."

"What are you talking about?" Kim whispered. "Even your mystical monkey powers didn't help when you tried to protect me from him!" She looked away from him. "You're lucky enough to be alive right now," the hero added in a softer voice.

"Kim, why are you saying this?"

Kim stood from her chair and walked to the lone window in the room. "Ron, don't you see? If you stay with me then I'll just endanger your life! I don't want that!" She stared at the skyline of buildings outside the window. "That man will kill anyone who will get in his way and I certainly don't want you to be one of those people."

"But what about _your _life Kim?" Ron demanded, forcing himself up into a sitting position. "Without protection then your life will be endangered! If I'm there with you then at least we have a fighting chance!" He let out a groan of pain as he clutched at his injured ribs. "I won't leave you Kim…"

Kim sighed. "I know Ron…" she began, turning away from the window to gaze at her boyfriend. "I just don't want you to sacrifice your life needlessly. Look, Global Justice has a squad of agents assigned to me and Team Go is around. That should be enough to keep me safe or at least make Balken Steel hesitate before attacking me again."

"I don't know Kim…"

"If things start to go downhill, then I'll be sure to call you over," Kim promised the blonde-haired boy. "Right now, I think it's best that you get back in shape and keep a low profile," she added.

Ron let out a sigh of his own. "You _have_ to call me at the first sign of trouble! I don't care if I'm not fully healthy yet! I'll be here in a jiffy when you place that call!"

The redhead smiled, feeling grateful for the concern. Walking over to Ron's bedside once more and sitting on the bed's edge, Kim carefully wrapped her boyfriend in a hug. "Thanks Ron…" she whispered into his ear.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're here to take Ronald to the rooftop. The chopper is ready to bring him back to his home." The same doctor Kim had spoken to had opened the door and stuck his head inside. "Is there anything else you need to talk about?" he asked, pushing the door fully open to admit two male nurses. One of them bore Rufus in his scrubs' pocket.

"We're done," Kim replied, giving Ron one last hug before getting off the bed. "I'll stay in touch," she told the young man, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently. "Take care of yourself alright?" She let go of his hand as the male nurses positioned themselves at either end of the gurney. She would have gone up with them to the roof to say her last goodbyes to Ron, but she opted not. Doing that would have just extended her feelings of anxiety so she settled on waving at Ron until the elevator doors slid shut. That done, Kim took the stairs all the way down to the first floor, bid the nurse at the front desk goodbye and exited the building.

The sounds of whirling helicopter blades filled the air as a Medevac chopper lifted off from the hospital's landing pad and headed out to sea. "Alone..." Kim mused. "That's what I get for choosing to study in a university outside of Middleton." The redhead glanced at her watch and saw that she still had a good twenty minutes left. "I guess I'll walk home. It's a nice day and the university is not that far off." She set off down the road at a leisurely pace, pausing every now and then to converse with people and trade a few inspirational words to a few kids who absolutely admired her. There were definitely perquisites to being a world-famous hero. Consequently, the people who regarded Kim fall under three types… those people who admire her, those who envy her and those who pity her. Why pity? Kim knew and even pitied herself sometimes. How could anyone juggle family, social life, academics and worldwide crime fighting at the same time?

"Apparently, I'm the only one who hasn't gone crazy yet with all the work I do," Kim muttered under her breath as the familiar Go University campus buildings came to view. It was a beautiful day, clear blue skies with partial cloud cover and a gentle breeze. Hordes of students were heading out of the various buildings, some on their way out of the campus while others roamed around with their friends. It wouldn't hurt to pay a visit to Tai. She was probably already at Go University's football field getting ready for training along with the other girls from the football team.

"Miss Possible!" Someone called from afar.

"Oh! Hi Professor Chandler!" Kim called out a greeting to her European History professor who was making his was to her. "Do you need some help?" she asked, glancing at the paper and book-laden arms of the bespectacled man.

The professor blinked a couple of times at the redhead before nodding his head furiously. "Now that you mention it, I could use a hand or two," he replied, letting Kim select a few books from the stack he carried. "We heard about your ordeal," he told her as he led the way towards the faculty building. "Many of us were worried about the extent of your injuries. How is it anyway?"

Kim smiled and shook her head. "It was just one bullet to the shoulder and a light gash on my cheek." She lightly squeezed her injured shoulder and patted her bandaged cheek. "My partner, Ron Stoppable had even worse injuries than me."

"The news pretty much reported that," the professor pointed out, pushing the door open with his shoulder and letting Kim enter the building ahead of him. "We'll take the elevator to the 4th floor where the European Studies department is." He punched the up button of the elevator with his elbow and stalked inside with Kim close behind him. "We were also told by the mayor and the director of World Justice-"

"_Global_ Justice sir," Kim corrected as she tried to hide an amused smile.

"Right!" the professor chirped, smiling also in spite of his mistake. "Anyway, they just informed the school board to not be surprised if there a dozen or so men hanging around in the campus. We were simply told that they're your security detail although they also specified that they won't be here on a daily basis."

The green-eyed heroine let out a long sigh. "I didn't realize how much Global Justice values my life," she mused as she and the professor walked into his department.

"It isn't just Global Justice who values your life," the professor added. "I'm sure you family has grown deeply concerned and there's also the public who rely a lot on your work." He walked down an aisle surrounded by desks, computers and shelves filled with books. "You must remember that many people from around the world are counting on you and things would definitely take a turn for the worse if you were to be killed."

"I'm sure there are other people who could do the same kind of work that I do," Kim protested, setting the books on her professor's desk.

"Perhaps," Professor Chandler replied, sitting heavily in his cushioned chair. "But there's only one Kim Possible and that's that." Reaching down and opening a drawer, he pulled out an envelope. "Actually, I wanted to bring you here so that I could give you some handouts to help you catch up in class." He offered the envelope to his student with a smile.

"Sir," Kim started, obviously taken aback by the kind gesture. She tried to say something to protest the older man's thoughtfulness. "I don't know what to say," she stammered.

"How about 'thank you' and 'I'll do my best to get back on track?'" the historian chuckled as he helped his student grasp the envelope. "I'm not like some sadistic professors who enjoy watching their students suffer in class," he told the redhead. "Anyway, I've kept you long enough. Were you supposed to meet someone?"

Kim nodded her head, hugging the envelope close to her chest. "I was planning to drop by and visit Tai before her football training starts," she replied.

"I suppose I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?"

"Yes. I'll be officially deemed fit enough to go back to school."

Professor Chandler nodded his head in approval. "Tomorrow then, Miss Possible."

Kim thanked the professor one last time and headed out of the room. She clutched the envelope tighter against her chest as she took the stairs down instead of using the elevator. "I guess I should head home," Kim told herself, glancing at her watch as she exited the building. "There's only enough time for me to cut across the campus to get back to my apartment."

She started down the winding path, dodging students and professors alike who often threw her a greeting or a strange look. Kim figured that they were probably still thinking about her close encounter with death a few days ago. She wasn't really surprised because it was an expected reaction. The redhead spotted the expansive football field as she approached the university gate that would lead her out onto the street of her apartment. From a distance, she could see the moving figures of the female football players practicing hard. She wished she could drop by and give her regards to Tai, but she didn't want to risk facing the wrath of Betty and Wade so she continued down the path. Kim was just several feet away from the gate when she suddenly got a strange feeling that she was being followed.

"Oh it looks like she finally realized that we were trailing her," a rough voice said from behind her, which was followed by several snickers.

Kim whirled around and scowled deeply at the group of the self-proclaimed would-be gangsters of Go University. The group composed of five boys and of varying ages was overdressed for this type of weather in their leather jackets, ripped jeans and bandannas tied around their heads. Kim knew as well as any other student who studied in Go University that this particular group of boys did nothing else but cause trouble. If they weren't the sons of the most influential families residing in Go City, Kim would have probably had them shipped to juvenile hall. These boys had done drugs, went binge alcohol drinking, trashed cars, stole cars, vandalized public infrastructures, got into street fights, gambled and even stole test papers from the archives of the university. Kim only wished that she had bumped into the boys another day.

"Well Kim! From what we heard you were still out cold from that attack that happened a few days ago," one boy said, stepping forward and away from his friends as he spoke. He was a tall boy almost six feet tall and had a built body. Many knew him simply as Edsel, the leader of their pack. "Why the bad look?" he asked with a smirk. "Oh yeah! We're that kind of people you don't associate with!"

Kim refused to converse with the boys, so she quickly turned her heel and continued walking towards the exit of the university campus. "Get out of my way," she growled when Edsel and another of his friends quickly ran ahead of her and cut her path.

"What if we don't want to?" one of the other boys asked in a taunting voice, spurring laughter among their group.

Kim gave them a grim smile before snapping a kick at calves of the boy who had just taunted her. The force of the kick had been enough to send the boy crashing onto the ground. She may have been injured recently, but it did not mean she was incapable of defending herself and dishing out some well-deserved damage. "Don't underestimate me," she told them, as she held her fists before her chest and positioned her feet on the ground.

The rest of the boys with the exception of Edsel all lunged forward to carry out their revenge on Kim Possible for knocking down their ally. It was a ridiculously easy job for the redhead to dispatch the rowdy bunch. The first boy threw a wild punch aimed at her head, which she effortlessly sidestepped. She instead grabbed hold of his arm and threw him over her shoulder in a classic takedown move. As she focused her eyes on the next attacker, she bent her knees and threw herself up in the air just as the next boy sailed below her with a sliding kick. She knew from the audible thud that the boy successfully stopped his death-defying slide by crashing into a low brick wall a few yards away.

"Last one," Kim said, a smile on her face. She had always wanted to teach this group of rebels a lesson and not she was faced with one boy who looked like he had the mind to run away instead of pick a fight with the Kim Possible. She was ready to pounce on him when she felt a flash of intense pain on her injured shoulder. The pain was enough to make her drop on her knees and scrabble at the cause of the pain. Her eyes widened in fear and realization when she felt a large hand clamped around her shoulder directly over the healing bullet wound.

"I think that's enough," Edsel announced, digging his thumb into Kim's injured shoulder. "I personally have had enough of your goody-two shoes lifestyle." He laughed as the girl struggled under his hold and gasped out in pain. "The boys and I have been wanting to give you a taste of your own medicine." He pulled Kim up to her feet and shoved her towards a large tree a few feet away from the path. Once there, he slammed Kim against the tree trunk and continued to dig into the bullet wound with his fingers. "How's the pain?"

"Let go of me!" Kim gasped as she continued to try to pry Edsel's grip off her shoulder.

"No can do!" Edsel smiled evilly at the teen hero as his other friends crowded around them. "Nothing is going to-" he suddenly stopped in midsentence as something hit the back of his head hard. The leader of the gang turned his head slightly and caught sight of a silver soccer ball rolling away from his feet.

"Leave her alone!" An ebony brown-haired girl wearing a soccer jersey and cleats shouted at them several yards away from the football field. "Get your hands off Kim!" Tai continued to shout as her teammates stood by her.

"Or else what?" Edsel retorted. "The police will come and take us to jail? Never in a million years as long as my father is in the ruling council of Go City's government!" He guffawed as his other friends imitated his laughter. "Or will you little girls pick a fight with us?"

Tai scowled and turned to one of her teammates. "Hey, go fetch the boys from the men's football team," she told her, not bothering to watch as her teammate sprinted back towards the football field where the men's team were practicing. "You know that you're an asshole Edsel!" she insulted the gang leader.

"I know," Edsel replied, still finding pleasure in digging his fingers into the redhead's injury and causing her immense pain. "I find it very becoming of me in all honesty," he added, readying himself to put even more pressure on Kim's shoulder that he didn't notice the sounds of an approaching motorcycle. "I'm going to send you back to the hospital," he told Kim, his voice dripping with venom. He knew that with enough pressure, he would be able to break through the healing skin on Kim's shoulder. "I'm going to enjoy every single second of-" he once again stopped in midsentence as something whizzed by in the air and grazed the skin of his face. Reaching up with his free hand, he touched his face and found that it stung. "I'm bleeding?" he asked both himself and his other friends, when he saw blood on his hand.

Nearby, a motorcycle engine roared ferociously, making the gang and Kim look for the source. Just outside the gate of the university, a figure clad in a black racing suit with a black leather jacket, gloves and boots sat on a black Ducati sport bike with an automatic Beretta gun aimed at them. The figure atop the powerful machine was definitely a woman from the distinctive curves of her body. None of the spectators could figure out who the mysterious biker was due to the black and silver full faced helmet worn.

Edsel though was furious that some stranger had shot at him. With his free hand, he waved his fist at the completely covered biker. "Try that again and I'll break all your bones and smash your bike too!" It was apparently the wrong thing to say, because the biker revved her engine and came racing inside the campus, set on course to crash head-on with the gangsters. By sheer luck, the five boys managed to throw themselves out of the way of the speeding machine.

Edsel rolled back onto his feet and tried to get back to attacking Kim, who was now sitting on the ground against the tree. He ignored the squeal of braking tires and lunged forward to tackle the redhead when he was suddenly pulled back by the collar at the back of his jacket. "Get your fucking hands off!" He whirled around and tried to punch the biker. He could only gape as his fist was stopped with a single hand. "Who the hell are you?" he growled at the helmeted biker.

The biker shook her head and viciously kicked high at the side of Edsel's head. The attack didn't stop there for the racing suit clad stranger continued to pummel the defenseless gang leader with an assortment of punches, kicks and an eventual throw onto the hard pavement. The young man was now thoroughly beaten up and struggling to get back on his feet from his position on the ground.

"Please!" he sputtered, blood streaming down from a split lower lip. "No more!" Edsel begged as his friends took off and ran away. It was clear that they were not willing to risk their lives to help their leader out. He shuffled backward on his behind and his hands as the biker took out her holstered gun, which was wrapped around her calf, and pointed it at the boy's head. There was an audible click as the mysterious stranger turned off the safety.

Edsel clamped his eyes shut and waited for the gunshot that would end his life… but it never came. He slowly opened one eye and saw that the biker had already holstered her gun and stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest. He was thinking about whether to make a run for it when the biker suddenly snapped another kick at his head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Scrambling back to his feet and staring wide-eyed with fear, Edsel took the jerk of the biker's head as a signal to retreat, which he gladly did.

As the badly beaten gang leader stumbled out of the campus, the numerous spectators watched in mixed awe and fear as the unknown and helmeted biker uncrossed her arms from her chest and walked towards Kim Possible, who was still leaning against the trunk of the tree. Squatting down in front of the freshman, she regarded the teen hero behind the heavily tinted visor of her helmet.

Kim squinted and tried to see through the visor of her unknown savior, but was unsuccessful. "Thanks…" she told the biker, wincing as pain shot up her shoulder. "I'm alright," she breathed out, watching as the biker reached out, took away Kim's hand from her shoulder and gently prodded her injury. After a few moment of examination, the biker pulled away and shook her head. "Am I alright?" Kim asked as her rescuer straightened and headed for the Ducati sport bike. "Hey! Wait! At least tell me who you are!" she called.

The leather-clad and helmeted biker stopped in her tracks and pointed at the back of her helmet.

"Huh?" Kim gave a confused look.

Her rescuer's shoulders drooped before she turned around and walked back to the redhead. She pointed at her helmet once more.

The green-eyed teenager squinted at the black and silver helmet and finally noticed that there were silver letters emblazoned on the shiny black surface of the helmet. "Shadow?" she made out, looking up at the biker who nodded her head. "Ummm… I guess you don't want to reveal yourself huh?" She slowly got up to her feet as her rescuer walked back to her sport bike and mounted it. "Thanks again," she repeated as the biker ignited the engines and roared out of the campus without further ado.

"Kim!" Tai ran up to her with several boys from the football team close behind her. "Are you alright?" she asked, her face a mask of worry for her friend.

"I'm alright," Kim replied, frowning as the pain continued. "Maybe I should head to the clinic and have this checked out before I head home." The redhead could feel her face heat up in embarrassment as the men's football team stared at her with much worry. "Tai, did you have to bring the whole football team?"

The football rookie looked surprised and sheepishly smoothed her hair with one hand. "Sorry Kim," she apologized. "It seemed like a good idea especially since these guys can easily beat up Edsel and his friends," she explained, jerking her head at the group behind her. "That was until that mysterious biker came by and singlehandedly beat them up."

"Yeah…" Kim sighed. "It was really strange that she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and saved me."

Tai cocked her head to the side. "You don't even know who she is, don't you?"

Kim shook her head. "No idea," she began, looking thoughtfully up at the darkening skies. "But I have to admit, there's something familiar with the way that biker fights. I just can't put my finger on it."

"Whatever it is, I think a bunch of us will accompany you to the clinic and back to your apartment," Tai announced, getting nods of agreement from the rest of the group. "Just to be sure," she added, ignoring the annoyed look on the redhead's face.

"Suit yourself," Kim told the group and began to trek back into the campus towards the nearest clinic.

* * *

A few blocks away, the same black Ducati sport bike cruised to a stop in front of an unsuspecting and plain apartment. The helmeted biker reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out a remote and pressed a button, which made the garage door slide open. The stranger drove the Ducati bike into the garage and waited as the door closed behind her. As soon as the kickstand was down, the racing suit clad woman strode into her apartment and turned on the lights.

It was a modern style apartment with large panes of glass as windows, vertical blinds to block out the overly curious eyes of passerby and neighbors, smooth hardwood floors and an assortment of fashionable and comfortable pieces of furniture that littered the two-floor apartment complex. Aside from being fully furnished, it was clear that the owner's favorite colors were black and green with bits of white. Most of the furniture were either a solid black or green or a mixture of the two colors.

The biker stalked into the expansive living room and pulled of her jacket, letting it fall to the floor as she began to peel of the top portion of her racing suit. With her body still clad in the tight suit from the waist down, the biker finally pulled the helmet off and shook out her long raven black hair. Deep emerald green eyes were filled with weariness as she lobbed the discarded helmet onto a nearby leather couch.

"God…" the woman breathed out as she plopped down onto the couch, clad only in her half-discarded racing suit and a green sports bra. "Am I reduced to this? Keeping princess safe from wannabe gangsters?" The raven-haired woman kicked off her boots and pulled her feet up to the couch.

"_You're being paid to protect Kim Possible,"_ the unmistakable voice of Global Justice's director sounded from a nearby intercom.

Shego scowled and tapped a button on a panel built into the arm of the couch. A blue screen appeared in the air showing the one-eyed leader of the world-renowned organization. "I'm paid to protect her from the _cyborg_!" she retorted in sarcasm. "Not from these rich-ass kids!"

"_Then why did you take action?"_ the director asked, amusement clearly written on her face.

"Because Kimmie was acting stupid!" Shego roared. "Beating up all those kids to a bloody pulp would have been easy for her, but she let that idiot take advantage of her injured shoulder!"

"_How strange…"_ The director's image flickered on the holographic screen. _"I would have thought that a mercenary like you wouldn't display concern for her arch nemesis,"_ Betty mused.

"Who says it's concern?" Shego growled. "It's what you call personal drive to getting that very large paycheck!" She punched a button and both the screen and the director disappeared. "Get a hold of yourself Shego," the villainess told herself. "You're not getting soft… you're _not_ getting soft!" she repeated. "I need… to clear my head," she finally decided, pushing herself off the couch and heading upstairs to the bathroom for a cold shower. "I'm not getting soft," she told herself firmly as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom's mirror. "And there's absolutely no way that I'm going to become soft because of _her!"_

She stripped out of the rest of her clothing and stepped into the running shower. As water cascaded over her green-hued body, the infamous villainess couldn't rid herself of those grateful jade-green orbs boring through the tinted visor of her helmet and into her very being. _I'll protect you Kimmie…_ she thought to herself. _Only for the money and immunity… only… for that._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**It took me over a week, but I was finally able to update the second chapter of this story. Before anything else, I'd like to take the time to explain some things. Most of you may have noticed that the speech of the characters in the story isn't 100 percent the same as that in the series. I personally have difficulty carrying their corresponding styles of speaking into this story, so forgive me if it bothers anyone. Consequently, most of the characters tend to be OOC. It's not intentional though. I'd like to think that it's not a big problem that would negatively affect this story. **_

_**Thepillows93:I did want Balken Steel to come off that way despite being a villain. Hehe… glad you think he's cool.**_

_**Beasty bex:thanks! I don't usually like starting a story with a long and boring chapter. I'm flattered that it impressed you. :)**_

_**Faioxromok:I hope I do keep your interest with each chapter.**_

_**Betoza:glad that you like the plot. Most of the stories I've written (not all here on fanfiction) are plot-driven.**_

_**AR:I apologize if you feel that way, but this has always been my style of writing. regarding the blood types, I was working around the knowledge that it's best to give a recipient of a blood transfusion the same kind of blood. I personally don't mind the constructive criticism though, but yeah it felt like you were taking it a bit too… seriously? hahaha! At least I've managed to catch your interest so far.**_

_**KittySquyres:Thanks and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**_

_**Gryffindor620:It's nice to know that you feel that way. :) For me, I really wanted to ground this story into reality a bit since Kim rarely gets into such a life-threatening situation. **_

_**Forever-a-mystery:I'm flattered! Hahaha! Hope you keep reading!**_

_**Dark Angel Baby:hope I updated fast enough! (although 1 week is quite long) :)  
**_

_**Deaths-evil-twin:I'm glad that you think I started it out right!**_

_**Ravenaurelius: Thanks for the compliment!**_

_**Seventh Theory:I've updated! Hehe! And I hope I continue to hold that captured attention! ;p**_

_**Next chapter:Reconnaissance **_


	3. Reconnaissance

_Chapter 3: "Reconnaissance"_

More than a week had gone by since Kim encountered her mysterious savior. She hypothesized that it was just a chance encounter or a coincidence because that particular experience was a rarity in itself. Who would think that an unknown and not to mention armed biker would come to her rescue? To top that off, her savior was a woman and had an almost familiar style of fighting. The week of quiet was not sufficient time for her to figure out who the woman clad in a racing suit was. "Who is she?" Kim muttered.

"Did you want to say something Miss Possible?"

Kim bolted upright in her seat and struggled to come up with an excuse.

"Well?" The professor pressed, looking irritated at the interruption.

"Sorry sir," she mumbled, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

The professor furrowed his eyebrows and stared disapprovingly at the teen hero. "I hope that this will not happen again," he stated, glancing at his watch just as the university's bells signaled the end of the period. "Now before all of you go, you must read the next three chapters of your book and prepare for a graded recitation the following meeting."

Kim withheld a groan, opting not to add further irritation to the professor. Reading the chapters and preparing for a graded discussion was fine with her, but she just disliked professors who relied too much on book reading. This particular professor lectured them in class with his thick textbook in his hands and used a voice bordering on monotonous. It was no wonder that most of her classmates were eager to get out of the classroom.

"Hey Kim!" A girl's voice called out her name as she stepped out of the classroom.

The redhead turned her head towards the voice and smiled. "Hey Tai," she greeted with a wave of her hand. "What's up?" She flipped her hair back and looked quizzically at the football player. "What brings you here? If I recall correctly, none of your classes are held in this particular building," she pointed out as her friend walked towards her.

"Oh I was scouting for a potential recruit!" Tai replied, amber eyes twinkling. "The thing is my captain only told me that the girl was a freshman and often had her classes in this building." She scratched the back of her head as she grinned sheepishly at the giggling hero before her. "I know… funny right? I don't even know how she looks like, but I still went here anyway." She stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Oh well! I gave up already anyway."

Kim continued to chuckle. "Better ask your captain for a name or how this girl looks like the next time around," she suggested, motioning for her friend to walk down the hall with her. She looked at the brunette with the corners of her jade-green eyes. "Training today?" she asked.

"Nope," Tai replied, resettling the strap of her messenger bag on her shoulder. "The captain and the coach rescheduled training to tomorrow instead for some reason," she explained. "I'm pretty much free for the rest of the day because of it."

The redhead smiled sympathetically. She knew that her athletic friend was feeling a little bit disappointed. "I have no more class so if you want to hang out we could head out and do something," she told the girl.

Almost immediately, the football rookie perked up. "You mean it?" she asked. "Cool! Where do you want to go then?"

Kim thought about it for a moment. "How about we head over to Go City Mall?" She glanced at her watch and noted down that she had a few hours to hang out with her friend. "We could grab a bite of something in the food court then do some shopping if you like."

"Sounds great!" Tai exclaimed as they stepped out of the building and onto the path littered by numerous students. "Commute?" she asked, looking around and spotting a group of men uniformly dressed in blue jackets, shades and visible earpieces. "I believe that's your security detail?" She gestured at the men.

Kim scowled and nodded her head. "Yeah… The director of Global Justice assigned a contingent of her own agents to keep an eye on me while that cyborg is still on the loose," she told her companion. "Don't mind them. They follow me around, but not so close to the point that they bother me."

Tai linked her hands behind her neck and regarded the group of men for a few more seconds before shrugging her shoulders. "It's a bit strange, but it isn't such a big deal," she said, honesty in her voice. "So shall we commute? There should be a bus pulling up outside the campus at this time."

Kim tightened the straps of her backpack. "Well, we better pick up the pace if we don't want to miss that bus!" She shot down the path at an easy jog, glancing over her shoulder to see the amber-eyed girl following closely at her heels. As they raced towards the exit of the campus, the Global Justice agents quickly jogged off towards the parking lot and boarded their vehicles.

* * *

"Have you heard from your boyfriend?" Tai asked as they boarded an escalator heading down to the ground floor of the expansive mall. She and her redheaded friend had immediately decided to grab a snack at the food court upon arriving at the mall. They also just finished watching a movie and were now on their way to a nearby coffee shop.

Kim nodded her head. "Ron's doing well," she told her friend. "He's set to go back to school in a few days." She had recently conversed with her blonde-haired partner over the phone and was quite happy to find out that his condition was getting better.

"That's good to hear," Tai said as they both stepped off the escalator. "Where shall we head to next after we buy some coffee?"

"I was thinking of going to-" Kim paused as her kimmunicator beeped incessantly in her pocket. "Sorry," she told Tai and brought the device up to her face. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked the dark-skinned genius.

"_Remember you asked me to get some information about Doctor Balken Wainwright? Well I managed to dig up some interesting facts about him." _

"The guy who's trying to kill you?" Tai clarified, amber eyes sparking with interest.

Kim nodded to her friend then focused her attention once more on the screen of her communications device. "So what did you find out?"

"_Balken Steel was a scientist specializing in cybernetics right? I remember telling you that when you were on your way to visit Ron at the hospital. Anyway, he was a respected figure in that field and various organizations and even the government funded his research."_

"What kind of research did he do anyway?" Kim asked.

Wade busily typed on his keyboard. _"He was particularly well-versed in robotics and artificial intelligence." _

"You think?" Kim asked with sarcasm. "His half-human and half-machine body gives enough of a clue to that fact," she added with a frown. "So what made him turn evil then?"

"_There was an accident," _Wade replied, conferring with the monitor of his computer. _"I could not find the exact details, but Balken Steel's daughter was critically injured. The medical report I found listed down extensive injuries and she was eventually pronounced brain dead," _the genius informed Kim. _"Balken Steel though was distraught and would not accept the fact that his daughter was dead. To put it simply, it looks like he went berserk and started using the funds provided for his research on cybernetics to create a device that would resurrect the brain of his daughter back into activity and bring her back to life."_

"So what happened? Was he able to invent something to save his daughter?" Kim asked, feeling slightly pitiful for her newest foe.

Wade nodded his head and pressed a button on his keyboard. _"Take a look at this," _he told her, an image zoomed in several hundred times appeared on the screen of the Kimmunicator. _"What you see here is a prototype of Balken Steel's invention. Something like nanotechnology, but all the more sophisticated and complex," _Wade explained.

"What does it do?" Kim asked, watching as she focused on the screen of her kimmunicator. "How would this save his daughter?" She was skeptical that something so small could literally bring a dead person back to life.

"_Balken called it Silver Lifeblood. From my initial research, it's supposed to be injected into your bloodstream and pretty much eradicates all threats to your physical health and maintains you at the same time. I'm not so sure yet myself how such a man was able to come up with this, but it supposedly works."_

"So how come this _Silver Lifeblood _wasn't used to save Balken's daughter?"

"_Government,_" Wade replied, flashing a newspaper clipping on the screen.

Kim eyed the headline of that day. "Renowned scientist arrested and stripped of position after being charged with embezzlement," she read, grimacing when she saw the amount of money embezzled. "He used up close to a _hundred _million dollars to invent that?!" Kim demanded, looking incredulously at Wade.

Tai let out a low whistle at Kim's side. "That's quite a lot of money! No wonder the government had him arrested and took his position away from him." She leaned over and squinted at the small screen of Kim's kimmunicator. "Now that's what I call a devoted and loving father," she paused and let a frown form on her face. "If you take away the whole obsessed with bringing back his dead daughter back to life thing," she added.

"_Anyway, after he was arrested the government and Balken's wife decided to pull the plug and accept the death of Balken's daughter," _Wade narrated. _"Balken on the other hand was originally to be put in a maximum security prison, but the government decided to be merciful and gave him house arrest instead."_

"Let me guess," Kim drawled, smacking her forehead loudly with her hand. "Balken Steel escaped and turned into a criminal to take revenge."

"_Well that's a summarized version that lacks a lot of important details,"_ Wade admitted. _"He did escape though, but not without a tussle. He was pursued by the police and other authorities, but a stray flash grenade exploded near a parked fuel truck that also exploded during the chase. Balken was caught in the blast and the police could not find any trace of him after they had doused the flames." _He showed both girls another newspaper clipping about the fuel tank explosion. _"Not even a trace of him was left and the authorities assumed that he had died and that his body had been completely incinerated."_

"And he suddenly chooses to pop out now," Kim murmured. "So he survived and managed to build himself into a cyborg." The college student shook her head. "And he's out to get me because I stand in his way of getting revenge on the whole world."

"_That's pretty much it for my report,"_ Wade told her. _"I'll try to get some more information," _he promised. _"I'll be sure to contact you once I know more. See you Kim!"_ The boy's image blinked out.

"Quite a story, huh?" Tai commented. "Twisted, but understandable," she added, looking thoughtfully up at the high ceiling of the mall.

"You feel sorry for this criminal?" Kim asked Tai with a deep frown on her face.

"I don't know Kim," Tai replied, rubbing the top of her head. "If I was in this Balken Steel's place, I probably would have felt the same as he did."

"So you would embezzle funds to bring a dead person back to life?" Kim demanded, not believing what she was hearing.

The football rookie shrugged. "If there was a slim chance of bringing a loved one back to life, then why not?" Tai replied, raising her hands up in defense. "Don't get too riled up," she advised her friend. "It was just an opinion. I never said I'd do it myself!"

"Sorry," Kim murmured. "Come on. I want a cold drink." She led the way into the quaint café and queued at the counter. After placing their orders, the two friends sat themselves at a vacant table and chose to stay silent after having an awkward conversation earlier.

"Tell me about that time when those aliens beamed you up into their spaceship?" Tai asked, the look on her face clearly showing that she did not want the silence between the two of them to continue. "I only heard as far as you and Drakken teaming up with each other on the ship."

Kim smiled faintly at the memory. It still gave her a few laughs whenever she would remember how brightly colored flowers and deceptively harmless looking vines sprouted out of various parts of the scientist's body. "We managed to escape thanks to Drakken's flowers and vines," she told her friend in a wry tone.

"Didn't Ron come to rescue you too?" Tai asked, propping her chin on her hands.

"Yeah actually he did," Kim replied. "He came on a rocket built by my dad and his colleagues at work."

Tai nodded. "He piloted the rocket?"

"No! Of course not! He would have probably crashed it into an asteroid or something!" She chuckled in spite of herself.

"So who was the pilot then?"

"It was Shego." The smile on her face faded away as she thought about the green-hued villainess. Kim was the person who believed the most that Shego had turned over a new leaf when they had helped each other save the world from Warhok and Warmonga.

The football player leaned slightly forward on her elbows and looked closely at her friend. "Why the long face?" she asked, her amber eyes both curious and concerned.

"Oh it's nothing…" Kim replied, shaking her head.

"It can't be nothing if you reacted that way," Tai pointed out. "Come on! I want to know!"

The auburn-haired hero let out a long sigh and prepared her explanation. "You've heard about Team Go right?" she asked her friend. "Shego used to be part of their team until she left them to become a criminal and a mercenary. From the years I've known her, I can honestly say that she is my greatest rival and enemy that was until she helped Ron and me save the world from the aliens." She let out another sigh. "I thought that she was going to stay good this time when she and Drakken were awarded for their part in the rescue."

"She went back to her criminal ways?"

"Unfortunately yes," Kim replied. "She already committed quite a few crimes, but it's rather unusual that Shego has suddenly stopped. Global Justice also confirmed that the illegal activities occurring at present have nothing to do with Shego. It's as if she suddenly disappeared." She looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "It's still very unusual for someone like Shego especially since I'm still recovering from my injuries," the redhead added. "She should be grabbing the chance of doing a couple of heists until I become fully healthy again."

Tai cocked her head to side and regarded Kim with her amber orbs. "I bet you miss her, don't you?"

"Miss her?!" Kim exclaimed, shocked at the question posed to her. "I don't miss her!" she said, trying to make herself sound firm. "Oh alright," she muttered after seeing her friend raise her eyebrows at her. "I do miss Shego, but only because she's what keeps me on my toes." She wasn't at all sure if that was what she really meant.

Tai opened her mouth to give her reply when the loud beeping of Kim's kimmunicator beat her to it. "Wonder what's up?" she asked as she watched the redhead pull the device out and turn it on.

"What is it Wade?" Kim asked as the genius appeared on the screen.

"_Bank robbery and armed assault a block away from where you are,"_ Wade said without beating around the bush. _"Police are on their way, but it'll take them some time. Since you're quite close to the bank, I thought it would be good if you went ahead and checked things out."_

Kim nodded and stood from her chair, nodding apologetically at Tai. To Wade, she said, "I'll be there in a few minutes." She turned the device off and smiled at the football player. "Sorry about this. Duty calls and apparently I'm the closest person to do that duty."

Tai nodded her head and waved the redhead off.

* * *

Outside the Go City Mall, a familiar figure clad in a full black racing suit, fit leather jacket, and dark sports shades leaned casually against a black and silver Ducati sports bike. Just as she was bid to do, Shego had trailed her charge from a distance as soon as the redhead stepped outside of the safe zone, which included Go University and Kim's apartment. She knew better than to follow Kimmie and her friend inside the mall so she stayed outside, looking like a suspicious and intimidating character.

At least her modified disguise was more bearable. Shego glanced down at her outfit and looked into the shiny silver surface on her bike's gas tank. Thank God that the prissy and one-eyed director gave her some new gadgets to help with her disguise! It was starting to become quite a difficult affair wearing her full-faced helmet all the time as she kept an eye... more appropriately both eyes on Kimmie. It may have kept her identity a secret, but the heat was stifling especially if she kept it on for too long. To solve this problem, the research and development department of Global Justice had invented a paper-thin patch that would change her green-hued skin to a normal skin tone. All she had to do was stick the patch on her skin and it would work instantly. So now, Shego could do her job without her troublesome helmet.

Of course, she couldn't just parade around unmasked. She opted to tie her long raven-black hair into a ponytail and just hide it underneath her leather jacket. As for her face, a pair of heavily tinted sports shades and her fully zipped up jacket's high collar did the trick. The shades hid her distinctive emerald orbs while the jacket collar covered her face from the nose down when fully zipped up. The collar idea she took from a picture of the cyborg who attacked Kim. Originally, Betty offered her the shape-shifting module used by a model turned thief, but Shego had refused it. She didn't want to take the chances of her enhanced molecular structure being tinkered by the module. It could possibly yield dangerous effects on her being.

But what about her powers? Surely her cover would have been blown if she as so ignites her hands into the familiar green flame. Once again, the director came to her rescue by mailing her a pair of leather gloves that would dampen her power. Strangely enough, the gloves were as ordinary as dirt and she had no idea where the technology came into the gloves' structure. As long as she just ignited her hands and did not throw off any blasts of energy, the gloves would completely hide the unmistakable green of her power. Thankfully, the villainess did not require her powers when she took care of those gangsters who were harassing Kimmie. Shego didn't need the slightest bit of her powers to beat up those rich-ass kids. _One thing is for sure_, she thought as she tipped her shades higher up the bridge of her nose. _Aside from the money and immunity, at least I know protecting princess won't be boring_. The disguised villainess sat mounted on her mechanical destrier and watched with interest as her auburn-haired charge suddenly strode out of the Go City Mall and sprinted down the street, easily dodging and weaving her way through passers-by on the sidewalk. _Where's she off to now in such a hurry?_ Shego kicked up the kickstand and pulled away from the curb.

* * *

_"Just around the corner Kim!"_ Wade directed the teen hero.

"I figured! I already heard the bank alarms from far off!" The redhead swerved around the corner and sprinted down the street strewn with abandoned and bullet-ridden cars. "How many bank robbers did you say there were?" she asked the young genius as she neared the bank.

_"They say it's a group of three armed men with one hired help," _Wade replied.

Kim frowned. "Who's the hired-" she stopped her speech as she was suddenly deafened by the sounds of a huge engine. Snapping her head to the side and looking down the alleyway beside the bank, she came face to face with a heavily metal-plated monster truck.

A familiar blonde-haired man with a wild mullet and an unshaven face stuck his head out of the opened rooftop of the vehicle. "Sorry red!" Motor Ed guffawed. Kim could see that there were three men inside the truck with Drakken's cousin. "This time around I'm going to make sure you won't be able to catch us!" he yelled as the plated truck lunged forward and roared towards the frozen teen hero.

It took her a few precious seconds to command her body to move, but by the time her knees bent to jump aside, she knew that even if she tried she'd still get hit. When the truck was a few meters away, the roar of a smaller vehicle caught Kim's ears. Before she could even react, Kim felt herself grabbed off the ground and whisked out of the speeding monster truck's path. The familiar screech of tires of the pavement filled her ears as the motorcycle skidded across the ground before stopping at a safe distance. Opening her eyes, Kim stared up into a face almost fully masked with dark shades and the loose and high collar of a leather jacket. For a moment, fear gripped the hero's being as the style of the person before reminded her of Balken Steel.

Realizing that she was staring for far too long, Kim felt herself being lifted then set on the ground. It was then that the auburn-haired college student realized that there was nothing to fear with this person. Her jade-green eyes moved over the biker's body, noting the familiar black racing suit, fit leather jacket and the Ducati sports bike. Even though the helmet was missing, Kim recognized the same mysterious woman who had saved her over a week ago from Edsel and his gang. _She's still as mysterious and unknown as ever,_ Kim mused silently as she looked over the rest of the biker's appearance. _I can't even guess who she is even without her helmet!_

"Nice bike!" Motor Ed shouted as he drove the monster truck and passed them. "Sorry red! I wasn't able to get rid of you, but at least I know you won't be able to catch up with me!" He floored the gas and speeded down the road with his three employers.

Kim looked around in vain in search of the police or any vehicle she could use to chase after Motor Ed. "Where is the police?" she cried out in exasperation. "I knew I should have brought my car along!" The roar of an engine and the screech of rubber wheels on the ground brought Kim to eye the temporarily forgotten biker once more. She watched as the biker adeptly swerved the Ducati bike 180 degrees.

The biker met her confused gaze and motioned for her to get on.

"You'll give me a ride?" Kim asked. Seeing the silent biker's head bob up and down, Kim immediately mounted the motorcycle and held her breath as the motorcycle roared forward. The redhead wrapped her arms around the waist of the woman in front of her and looked over the biker's shoulder to look for their quarry. They had just entered the major highway and she now spotted Motor Ed and his accomplices ahead of them. They were just over a hundred meters away from her, but she somewhat knew that it wouldn't stay like that for long. Kim held on for her life as her mysterious rescuer veered around other vehicles on the road at over 130 miles per hour, half praying that they wouldn't crash and the other half wishing that they would be able to catch up with Motor Ed.

In less than a minute, Kim and the anonymous biker pulled up beside the plated monster truck, much to the surprise of Kim and to the shock of Motor Ed and the other three men inside his truck. "Stop the truck Motor Ed!" Kim shouted as the four men stuck their heads out of the window.

"In your dreams red!" Motor Ed retorted, suddenly sharply steering his truck to ram into the motorcycle. "Damn it!" Ed cursed as the motorcycle suddenly braked and avoided the onrush of the truck. "You've got skills lady!" he told the biker. "But do you really think you could make my truck stop with that puny motorcycle of yours?" Ed taunted.

Kim was already contemplating jumping off the bike and onto the truck when she spotted the woman she clung onto reach down and pull out a familiar automatic Beretta gun. Before she could even ask what her rescuer meant to do, the woman released a round of bullets into the large wheels of the truck, making it burst in a spray of air and black rubber. The redhead and the biker pulled back as the truck skidded on the road before finally turning turtle, rolling over uncontrollably several times then landing upright by the concrete wall dividing the highways lanes.

Motor Ed and the other three men dizzily climbed out of the truck with their bags of stolen money. The men took out their assault rifles and tried to aim them at the teen hero and her partner, but could not do so due to their dizziness. Motor Ed on the other hand was secretly taking money from the duffel bags and stuffing them into his pockets.

When the motorcycle halted a few feet away from the truck, Kim immediately jumped off and punched one robber hard in the face. She flipped back, evaded the stream of bullets fired at her and launched a kick at the second man's chest, throwing him into his companions body. With the three men temporarily down, the redhead made her way to the mullet-haired man. "You're a pitiful character," Kim told him, watching as the blonde-haired man jumped from the sound of her voice and threw a wild punch at her. The hero easily sidestepped the punch and snapped a kick at Ed's calves, throwing him onto the ground. "Letting your partners do the fighting and even get imprisoned while you run off with the money, it's just really a shame," Kim added with a smile on her face as Motor Ed scrambled up to his feet and lunged forward to tackle the redhead. This time Kim leaped up and let the criminal tackle the empty space beneath her, throwing a downward kick at Ed's head as he sailed beneath her. "Knocked out," she announced to herself after checking that the man was indeed unconscious from the blow she gave him.

Gunshots took Kim's attention away from the downed criminal. She looked back and saw that two of the men she had originally encountered were now thoroughly beaten. One man's arm was twisted at an awkward angle while the other man's nose was broken and bloodied. The remaining man was keeping the unknown biker at bay with a barrage of bullets. With awe, Kim watched as the biker effortlessly moved across the ground towards the remaining man, her agile and wiry frame jumping, rolling and flipping to evade the bullets. Finally, the biker reached the man and with one hand, grabbed hold of the assault rifle's muzzle and with the other hand gripped the man's shirt collar.

The man suddenly screamed out in pain as his assault rifle suddenly began to melt, a puddle of the heated metal liquid dripping into his hand and arm. Before he could continue screaming, his body was suddenly thrown into the monster truck's mercilessly hard side, knocking him unconscious. The chase was apparently over as the biker dusted her gloved hands off. From a distance, they could head the sound of approaching sirens.

Kim approached the biker and glanced at the half-melted rifle on the ground nearby. "How'd you do that?" she asked, watching her rescuer carefully and trying to see through those dark-tinted shades.

The biker shook her head and glanced over her shoulder, seeing that several police cars were speeding towards them. Straightening the high collar of her jacket and pushing her shades higher up the bridge of her nose, the biker nodded once to the redhead and mounted her motorcycle.

"Wait!" Kim cried as her mysterious savior started the engine. "At least tell me who you are!" She knew it was a futile attempt and frowned, as the biker once again shook her head no. "This is the second time around you've helped me! Why are you doing this?" she demanded. She had so many questions to ask this unknown woman. "You're not going to answer are you?" Kim let out a sigh. "Will you at least let me thank you?" she tried, hoping that the biker would not deny her.

Surprisingly, the biker did not refuse. With her foot planted on the ground and her left hand gripped around the handlebar, Kim's nameless savior reached out and offered her right hand.

Kim could not help but stare at the offered hand for a few seconds, not fully understanding what the biker's intentions are. Then the fingers on the gloved hand offered crooked at her, motioning for the redhead to step forward. She then realized that the biker wanted to shake hands. Swallowing a nervous lump in her throat, Kim took a step forward and reached out with her own hand, hesitantly placing it within that gloved hand. For a moment, the two of them just stood like that, Kim on her feet and the biker still mounted on her Ducati. Then with one slight squeeze, the biker let go of Kim's hand, throttled the gas and sped down the road just as the police cars halted behind the hero.

"Miss Possible!" The police chief stepped out of his vehicle and jogged over to Kim, as he directed his men to subdue the quartet of unconscious criminals. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking down the road and spotting the black motorcycle moving farther and farther away from them. "An escapee!" he growled, motioning to one of his men. "Trail that motorcycle," he ordered.

"No wait!" Kim interrupted. "She's not part of this," she told the chief. "It's just those four who were involved in that bank robbery." She pointed at the three men and Motor Ed who were being handcuffed and escorted into a detainment vehicle.

"Are you sure? Why is she in such a hurry to get away then?" The chief looked doubtful.

Kim also wondered why the biker was in a hurry to leave. "I'm not sure, but I think she just doesn't like the attention. Probably doesn't want to be involved with the questioning and stuff," Kim hypothesized.

"Hmmm…" the chief hummed out, deeply thinking as he stroked his graying mustache. "Perhaps you are right, but I think I'll have some of my men dig up any records on this biker. Might be a potential troublesome case if we don't do anything," he explained to the redhead. "Do you know her?" The chief looked at her.

Kim shook her head. "I actually have no idea who she is. The only thing I do know about her is that she saved me a week ago from a bunch of gangsters taking advantage of my weakened condition," she replied.

The chief gave her a grim smile. "Oh you mean Edsel and his gang. We would really want to bring these boys into juvenile hall, but we can't do anything when their leader's father is ignorant of his son's activities."

"If you find anything on the biker," Kim started, glancing at her watch. "Would it be possible to tell me and send me a report?"

The mustached man nodded. "I suppose I'll be able to do that for you, Miss Possible," he replied, offering his hand for a handshake. "Especially since you foiled this bank heist," he added, firmly shaking the smaller hand. "Do you have a way home?" he asked after releasing Kim's hand.

The teen hero blinked then shook her head with vehemence. "The biker was my ride going here," she told the chief, looking hopefully up at him with her green eyes. "Would it be any trouble if I could hitch a ride going back to the city?"

The chief smiled and barked an order. "Jamison!" he shouted, waiting as a uniformed man with the triple arrows of a sergeant sewn onto the sleeve of his shirt ran over to them. As the man stood at attention and saluted to his superior, the chief gave his order. "Take your police car and bring Miss Possible back to wherever she lives," he told him. "Then I want you to head back to headquarters and tell the research team to look up who that biker is. She may be residing in the city." To Kim, he said, "Thanks for the help."

Kim smiled and waved goodbye to the police chief before following the sergeant to his police car. As she settled herself in the backseat of the car, she fished out her kimmunicator and called on Wade.

"Where to Miss Possible?" the sergeant asked, glancing at his rearview mirror to regard the redheaded hero.

"Jackson Street please," Kim replied with a grateful smile as Wade's image flashed on screen. "Hey Wade," she greeted, leaning back into the seat as the car rolled forward and accelerated.

"_Kim! Did it go well?"_

The hero nodded her head and quickly glanced out of the window. "Fortunately enough, yes," she replied. "Motor Ed and three other robbers were responsible. They've been apprehended already and I'm on my way back to my apartment."

Wade gave her a thumbs-up sign and congratulated her. _"It looks like you're in good enough health to get back to saving the world,"_ he told her.

"I guess you're right," Kim mused, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "While I go back to protecting the world from evil, I'm being protected from Balken Steel." She let out a sigh. "I just hope that things will work out in the near future."

"_Don't worry Kim!" _the boy genius assured her. _"You're well looked out for!"_

"Speaking of being looked out for," Kim began. "Wade I need a favor."

"_What kind of favor?"_

"Just some ordinary research," Kim replied. "I know there are Global Justice agents assigned to me as my security detail, but could you look up this person for me?"

"_Who?"_

"You have access to satellite cameras right?" Kim asked. "I'm sure Global Justice was able to document the incident last week when I was attacked. There's this woman, a biker who turned up and saved me and she showed up again today to help me catch Motor Ed and the other robbers."

Wade nodded his head as he busily typed on his keyboard. _"You mean this woman?"_ An image of the helmeted biker and another image of the biker in her altered appearance blinked onto the screen.

"Yes that's her," Kim confirmed. "Could you do some research on her? I have no idea who she is and when I tried to ask her she wouldn't answer." She was really curious about her mysterious protector.

"_I'll see what I can find out about her. I'll call you up when you get back to your apartment."_ The dark-skinned boy hung up on her.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kim was back at her apartment and tiredly plopping down onto her couch. Her injured shoulder was starting to act up due to the strenuous activity. The redhead scowled as she gently kneaded the healing muscle. She thought that it would not bother her anymore especially since it's been a few weeks since she was treated at the hospital. Sooner or later, her parents were going to call on her and lecture her about going off so suddenly to fight crime. It'll be a bother to explain to her parents that she can't stay inactive from the job for so long, but she knew anyway that they would just be expressing their concern for her.

Her kimmunicator beeped incessantly.

"Wade?" Kim guessed, switching on the communication device.

"_Right here Kim," _the boy replied. _"I managed to get some information about the biker, but not enough to actually give you her identity."_ He typed onto his keyboard and squinted at his monitor.

"What do you have?" Kim asked.

"_Nothing came up when I looked through the database of Go City and I scanned her face and tried to get a match."_ Wade shook his head. _"She's a completely unknown person from how I see it."_

"Nothing at all about her?" Kim pressed, still hoping that she would get a clue about her protector.

"_Well, I did get a potential lead, but the information I got from it is still too vague,"_ Wade replied.

The redhead lay back on the couch and held the kimmunicator above her face. "Please tell me anyway?" she asked the boy.

Wade nodded. _"Well, I thought her bike would give us the best chance to finding out her identity. Your anonymous protector rides a Ducati Desmosedici GP9 bike." _He showed her a picture of the woman mounted on the black and silver sports bike. _"A modified and customized one at least," _he amended. _"I looked up some stuff and found out that there are a total of five of these fully customized vehicles. Three of them used for the racing circuit, one part of an expensive collection of vehicles owned by a CEO and the one you see often rode on by that biker woman," _ he informed the redhead. _"I tracked the Ducati branch that sold the bike to the woman, but they could only tell me that the bike was simply ordered by email and delivered to a hotel they assumed the customer was residing at."_

"But there should be at least a name on that order!" Kim pointed out, feeling exasperated that they were not getting any closer to revealing the identity of her protector.

"_The order was signed by _S.L.G. _and that's about it that was on the order aside from an envelope that arrive later that day with a signed check with the same initials to pay for the bike,"_ Wade continued, shaking his head. _"Sorry Kim, but I can't find anything else of worth that would help you find out who this woman is. Why the interest anyway?"_

Kim shook her head and smiled gratefully at the boy. "It's nothing Wade. Thanks anyway!" She switched the kimmunicator off and placed it on an end table. This was another of her futile attempts this day and it once again had something to do with that biker. Why was she so interested anyway? She herself didn't understand why she expressed so much interest in this woman. Was it because she's been showing up whenever Kim needed help? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, she wasn't enjoying the strange feelings it was giving her.

Her kimmunicator began to ring incessantly once more and she picked it up. "Yes?" she greeted tiredly.

"_Kimmie-cub…"_ her father's voice sounded in a warning tone. _"What's this I hear about having a tussle with some bank robbers over there?"_

Kim let out a groan and rolled onto her stomach. "Dad it was nothing serious!"

"_But Kim you're still recovering!"_ Doctor Anne Possible's face appeared on the screen.

The hero let out a long sigh and prepared herself for a lengthy explanation.

* * *

In another apartment a few blocks away from where the teen hero resided, the modern day knight and her mechanical destrier rolled into the garage and waited as the doors slid shut behind them. She cut the engines off and kicked the kickstand down before entering her castle. Reaching up to her collar, Shego pulled down the zipper and discarded the leather jacket onto a nearby table. Next, she took of her shades and folded them as her other hand pressed a button on the wall that turned on the central air-conditioning system of her abode.

The villainess walked across the room and headed up the stairs to her own bedroom, peeling off her racing suit at the same time. By the time she was inside, the black racing suit was left in a puddle of cloth in the middle of the floor and Shego was already pulling on a green wifebeater shirt and comfortable back pants. Done changing, the green-hued criminal turned protector made her way back down the stairs and sat herself on her couch with a long breath.

It had been a long, interesting and potentially precarious day. Precarious because she had to deal with criminals trying to escape from the authorities and Kimmie and also because she was careless going about keeping her identity a secret. Shego had given the girl, who was younger than her by almost eight years, too many opportunities to find out about who she really was. Her disguise composed of the shades, the high collar and the skin tone-changing patch worked out perfectly, but almost gave herself away when she used her dampened powers through her special gloves to melt the assault rifle of the robber. There was only one person who could do that, not counting Electronique who would probably be able to generate enough heat with her electricity to both melt and electrocute a person.

Shego muttered a curse under her breath leaned her arms and elbows against her lap. She shouldn't have been careless. Things would have gone offhand if Kimmie had found out that her arch foe who was thought to have become good again turned out to be her protector. "It would be all the more worse if she found out that Global Justice is paying me with money and offered immunity from the authorities to protect her," she said to herself. "It would probably disgust her knowing that her arch nemesis is protecting her."

"_You have an incoming call," _Shego's high tech communication device announced.

"Patch it through," Shego ordered, not bothering to straighten in her seat as the familiar director of Global Justice appeared on the holographic screen before her. "What is it now one-eye?" she asked the woman, using her now favorite nickname for her.

"_I just wanted to commend you for a job well done,"_ Betty replied, she was stoically sitting behind a large desk. _"I am rather impressed with your professionalism Shego," _she continued. _"I didn't even need to remind you to go out and trail Kim Possible when my men reported that she was going out of the safe zone."_

The raven-haired woman cursed once then held her tongue. "Just like you said one-eye, I'm a professional and I'm not stupid enough to breach a contract," she retorted. "I want the money and the immunity you offered," Shego reminded, her voice hard.

"_You will get that once the cyborg has been imprisoned or eliminated,"_ Betty replied, seemingly unfazed by the treatment she was receiving. _"For now, I'd like for you to continue your job. It seems that Kim Possible is ready to get back to work and I would like you to follow her in her missions. Am I understood?"_

Shego scowled and chose to reply by abruptly cutting off the video conference. The newest order was definitely going to be more of a hassle for her since she'll need to trail Kim during her missions. It was difficult for the villainess to do that especially when the redhead would be called to travel out of the country. Shego released a long and weary sigh. "I would have to use my jet to do keep up with her," she told herself.

She leaned back against her couch and reveled in the cool and dim room. She thought back to the events that happened earlier particularly when the four criminals had been knocked out.

_At least tell me who you are!_ Kim's voice sounded in her mind. _This is the second time around you've helped me! Why are you doing this?"_

Those jade-green eyes had seemingly bore into her being through her dark-tinted shades as Shego remained indifferent on her Ducati bike.

_You're not going to answer me are you? _Princess had asked her that, looking disappointed.

How could she answer her? If she had spoken back, Shego was sure that Kim would immediately recognize her voice.

_Will you at least let me thank you?_ That made the ice in the villainess heart crack some. The sincerity in Kimmie's voice and the grateful look in her eyes made Shego do something unexpected. Why did she offer her hand to her? Was it to let this girl who has pestered her for the past few years show her thanks? Shego really didn't understand herself and she just told herself that it was to keep Kimmie from asking anymore questions, although she knew that it probably made the younger girl even more curious about her.

"Get a hold of yourself Shego," the villainess smacked her face loudly with her hands. "Kimmie will always be your enemy and this job you're doing is _only _a job!" She leaned forward on her knees once more and covered her eyes with her hands. Try as she might, the only thing that entered her mind was the image of Kimmie looking so deeply at her and the feel of her hand against hers.

* * *

_**This time it's been two weeks since I uploaded a chapter. I've been really busy lately. I just had my midterm exams last week so I couldn't really sit down and type a long chapter for you guys since I had to study and do a few papers. **_

_**I'm still trying to decide when I'm going to let Shego reveal herself to Kim or Kim find out about Shego. Hopefully though, it'll be in about 2-3 more chapters. **_

_**To my readers and reviewers, you probably are expecting me to reply to each of you individual reviews as I've always done in the past two chapters. Unfortunately, I've decided that there are too many of you for me to do that. Hahaha! As I've noticed in the last chapter's end notes, the replies I've been giving to each of you tended to repeat themselves and I don't really want that for you guys. I do thank each and every one of you for the comments, suggestions and compliments! It definitely helps me whenever I write the next chapter. **_

_**Keep reading (and reviewing… hehehe)!**_

_**Next Chapter: Obscurity**_


	4. Obscurity

_Chapter 4: "Obscurity"_

"You have to promise me Kim!"

A sigh escaped from the redhead's lips as she spoke to her boyfriend at their usual table in Bueno Nacho. Over a month had gone by already since her return to the crime fighting scene and things were going particularly well. Of course, she had to leave out the part that she's been doing several missions without her boyfriend's help. The blonde-haired young man was still not fully healthy enough to accompany Kim on her missions. His broke but healing ribs were still proving to be a hindrance for both Ron and Kim on the handful of missions they've done together.

"Promise me Kim!" Ron pressed, grabbing hold of his girlfriend's hands to drive home his point.

Kim bowed her head and really thought about it. The recent events of her life played in her mind as she thought about her answer to Ron. She was home for the long weekend since Go University had announced that Friday was declared a school holiday. It had something to do with the founding of the school if she remembered correctly. She left Go City Thursday night, driving home in her car and arriving at the doorstep of her Middleton home in two hours. Her twin brothers had rambunctiously greeted her and proceeded to engage her in a heated teasing session throughout the night. When the boys were finally asleep, her parents sensibly explained to her that both Tim and Jim terribly missed her. It made sense somewhat. Her brother thrived on teasing and bothering her every single day, but when she moved to Go City, they lost that right.

The redhead looked up into Ron's eyes. "Ron, you know yourself that your injuries are slowing us down during missions," Kim started, looking seriously at her boyfriend. "I know that we've been a team for the longest time, but I have to be blunt with you." She squeezed Ron's hands. "We both won't be able to do our job properly and protect ourselves with your current condition," she told him, noting the frustrated expression on the boy's face. "Broken bones take longer to heal and it's an even longer process to get back to doing strenuous and physically demanding activities like crime fighting," the auburn-haired student added.

"But Kim it isn't safe for you to work alone!" Ron argued, still not giving up. "And there's also that Balken Steel cyborg!" he added, pushing his tray of nachos to Rufus. "You never know when he's going to pop out and attack you!"

"I know that Ron," Kim replied demurely. "But there's nothing I can really do about it. If I put a stop to my crime fighting in order to protect myself from Balken Steel, then who knows what's going to happen to the world?" She fixed the sleeve of her long-sleeved blue shirt. It was starting to get chilly even if it was still the last week of October. "It's been proven that the crime rate goes up when I'm inactive."

Ron muttered under his breath as he slumped down in his seat. "I don't know Kim," he told her. "I really don't like how this is going. I can't stand knowing that you're somewhere around the world fighting evil without me there to help out and protect you."

Kim gave her boyfriend a reassuring smile. "Do I have to remind you all the time? Director Betty has ordered a squad of her most talented agents to accompany me on my missions. In addition, Team Impossible will be providing me with assistance if they have an available opening in their schedule." She glanced at her watch and slid out of her chair. "You need not worry so much," she told Ron. "What I want you to do is to rest for the remaining three months of your recuperation period and leave the crime fighting to me until then."

"Kim…" Ron tried.

"Please Ron?" Kim asked him in a quiet voice. This decision was for both for their own good. On the account of Kim, she would not be able to fully concentrate on completing her mission knowing that she'll have to take it easy since her partner hasn't fully recovered yet. Consequently, she would have to protect Ron in case he isn't able to do that himself due to his injuries. On the side of Ron, his injuries would slow down Kim and perhaps jeopardize the mission. Also, his injuries may worsen depending on the physicality of the mission they're sent on.

Fortunately, the boy relented with a bow of his head. "Just for three months alright Kim?" Ron leaned his elbows on the table and looked up at his girlfriend's relieved face. "Once I'm done with the three months no matter if I'm fully healed or not, I will be going on every single mission with you," he promised. "Do we have a deal Kim?"

The auburn-haired Go University freshman nodded her head and stooped down to hug her boyfriend around the shoulder. "It's a deal Ron and thanks for understanding," she told him, tightening her hold on him before stepping back. "Will you be staying here some more?"

Ron nodded and stared at his emptied tray of nachos. "I got so distracted from our serious talk that I let Rufus eat all of my food." He fished his wallet out of his pants and pulled out a few bills. "I'm going to order myself a naco then head home to babysit Hana." He pocketed his wallet again. "Where are you off to?"

"I've been asked to attend Middleton High's cheerleading team's recruitment," Kim replied.

"Who asked you to do that?" Ron asked.

"You'd never guess," Kim drawled.

The blonde-haired boy remained silent for a few seconds, thick brows furrowed in thought. "Oh no… you don't mean-" he began, eyes wide.

"Yes I mean it," Kim finished for him with a small smile on her face. "I didn't know until I arrived last night that Bonnie was doing part time as a coach for the team." It had been strange to get a call in the morning and hear that same voice that had driven her insane throughout her years of studying at Middleton High School. "Apparently Bonnie finished her summer school and decided to study at Upperton University. She doesn't have classes on Fridays so she goes to coach the team."

"Shouldn't recruitment be done already? Like at the start of the school year?" Ron asked.

Kim shrugged. "Maybe they had a bunch of girls back out and they're looking to fill in the empty spaces," she guessed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, I took up the offer of Bonnie. I do want to visit our old high school and check out how things have been going over there."

Ron smiled and waved goodbye to his girlfriend. "Well, I'll see you tonight or tomorrow then," he told Kim. "We have to hang out before you head back to Go City tomorrow afternoon," he added as he watched Kim walk towards the exit.

"Definitely," Kim replied, waving one last time to Ron before exiting the establishment. She hopped into her car, backed out of her parking space and headed towards her former high school. She wasn't at all sure if Bonnie's intention were good, but she still decided to accept the offer. She had a few friends from the squad who were now in their senior year and she wanted to see how they were all doing. Three intersections later, Kim was getting out of her parked car and gazing at the familiar sight of her high school. It certainly made her feel nostalgic as she took a few more moments looking at the building. "Well," she mused. "I better head inside." The alumna walked casually through the doors of the school to be greeted by the sudden ringing of the school bell, signaling the end of classes for the day.

Students immediately rushed out of their classrooms and into the hallways, headed for their lockers or towards other parts of the campus for their extra-curricular activities. Many students balked and stumbled in their path as they spotted the familiar redhead standing at the end of the hallway. Others began to whisper excitedly to each other as they watched Kim move down the hallway towards the indoor gym.

"Possible," a deep voice called her name.

The redhead turned her head and stared up at the powerfully built figure of Steven Barkin. "Hello Mister Barkin," Kim greeted with respect. Originally, she had always been annoyed with the imposing teacher, but her respect grew for him throughout the years she had him as a teacher.

"What brings you here?" Barkin asked, a hard look on his face as usual. "Don't tell me you decided to drop out of college and go back here." Apparently, he hadn't lost his stiffness.

Kim shook her head. "Not at all, sir," she replied. "I was asked by Bonnie to attend the recruitment of the cheerleading squad so I decided to drop by since I'm home for the long weekend."

The former military man frowned and shook his head. "Once a cheerleader always a cheerleader," he muttered. "Go on ahead then. I have to attend to other matters." He nodded once to her then strode down the hallways, the sea of students parting as he crossed.

Kim stood in the middle of the hallways for a few seconds contemplating her short conversation with Barkin. "Never mind," she murmured, resuming her walk to the gym and returning the smiles and waves of students who she had known back in high school. As she neared the gymnasium's door, she heard the familiar music used by the team for both practices and official performances. The doors were open and she stood at the doorway watching with interest as the current cheerleading team pulled of a performance for a significant number of girls who watched in awe from the bleachers. Seated behind a long desk with sheaf of papers and a pen was the brown-haired former team captain of the cheerleading squad.

Bonnie spotted Kim first as the squad finished their performance. "Alright! We'll start the tryouts, but let's take a five minute break so that you applicants can stretch," she announced. Pushing away from the table and walking around it, Bonnie crossed the court to stand in front of the slightly shorter redhead. "I didn't think that you'd actually take me seriously," Bonnie mused. There was still a hint of annoyance in her voice as she addressed her rival.

"Same here," Kim replied. "Am I really needed? It looks like you've got things under control," Kim pointed out, looking past Bonnie to observe the both the resting squad and the stretching applicants.

Bonnie shook her head. "Aside from me, you were a former team captain of this team," she started, scuffing her foot against the polished wooden floors of the court. "Besides, you were one of the best and knowledgeable about this sport from our team."

Kim felt rather awkward that Bonnie was saying these things to her. She half-expected Bonnie to have embarrassed her in front of the team and the large group of young girls who wished to try out for the team, but she apparently felt otherwise. The redhead rubbed the length of her sleeved arm. "Sorry, but is it just me or does this feel really awkward?" she asked.

To her surprise, Bonnie began to laugh drawing the attention of the team and the other students in the gymnasium. "It is rather awkward especially with our dysfunctional relationship," Bonnie admitted after stopping her laughter. "Look Kim. We've always been biting at each other's back at every moment possible in the past and I'll admit myself that I still see you as a rival." She gave the redhead a thin smile. "But then whenever I hear your name or you come into mind, I don't get as annoyed anymore for some unusual reason."

"So you're saying your hate for me has died down some?" Kim asked.

Bonnie shrugged. "You'll still be my rival though," she said. "I believe we're both mature enough to stop our petty spats." She offered her hand. "Truce?"

Kim reached out and gripped Bonnie's hand firmly. "Truce," she agreed. "Now, how should we start then?" she asked the part time coach.

"Since you're here and we've already settled things between us, we can officially start the tryouts," Bonnie replied, she led Kim across the court and motioned for Kim to sit beside her behind the long desk. She scowled at the squad who was inching their way towards the two college freshmen. "Whatever it is can you save it for after the tryout? Kim and I have work to do," she told them. "I'm sure there'll be enough time for them to speak with you after the tryouts," Bonnie told Kim before focusing her attention on the open space before her.

Kim nodded her head, but chose to look over her shoulder to give the current squad a quick smile and a wave. "Alright!" she said cheerfully. "Who's the first applicant?"

* * *

"Busy day, honey?" Ann Possible asked her daughter later that night as Kim trudged into her home. "Where have you been?" She stooped down slightly to peck her only daughter on the forehead.

Kim wrapped her arms around her mother's slender frame and gave her a hug. "I was at Middleton High helping out with the cheerleading tryouts then I went out to have dinner with the current squad and Bonnie," she told the neurosurgeon.

"Kimmie-cub here already?" James Possible called from the kitchen, sticking his head out of the doorway. "Come here and give your father a kiss," he ordered, smiling broadly as Kim released her mother to walk to her father and gave him both a hug and kiss. "Is Ronald coming over for dinner?"

The redhead shook her head. "He's taking care of Hana while his parents are out for a convention." She slipped into the kitchen and slid into the booth beside her brothers. "Any more ice cream?" she asked her brothers who were each wolfing down a bowl of the cold dessert. She voiced out her thanks when her mother placed a bowl of strawberry ice cream in front of her.

"What time are you planning to leave tomorrow, Kim?" Jim asked, his mouth full.

Tim looked up from his bowl and nodded his head. "Yeah what time are you leaving?" the other twin repeated. "We're planning to add some modifications to your car to help you out more in your missions."

"Boys..." Ann warned, handing the both of them paper napkins. "Don't speak with your mouths full and please try to eat neatly!" she scolded, watching her sons wipe their mouths. She turned to look at Kim. "Well? What time are you planning to leave for Go City tomorrow?"

Kim swallowed a spoonful of her ice cream. "Maybe in the afternoon," she replied. "I promised Ron that we would hang out with each other before I head back," she explained, scooting over to let the twins out of the booth.

"Did you have your talk?" Ann asked, taking the emptied bowls and bringing them to the sink.

"What talk?" The rocket scientist asked, setting his handheld computer down on the kitchen table.

"Just about our missions Dad," Kim answered. "Ron's still having a hard time keeping up with me during missions because of his injuries particularly his ribs." She pushed away her now empty bowl of ice cream and leaned back. "I convinced him to stop accompanying me until the remaining three months of his recuperation are up."

"Are you sure Kimmie-cub?" James asked, looking a bit worried.

"Positive Dad," Kim replied. "It's better this way and besides I have more than enough help from Global Justice." She stretched her arms to the ceiling and gave her parents a reassuring smile.

"Now Kim, I don't want you to strain yourself during your missions," Ann told the only other redhead in their home. She wagged her finger at her daughter when she opened her mouth to argue. "Don't argue with me, young lady. Don't forget who's the doctor in this house and I know best when it comes to matters pertaining to health." She gave Kim a concerned smile. "I know you're deemed fit to go back to work, but just be careful alright?" She hugged her daughter once more.

"I will Mom," Kim relented, returning the hug as the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Now who could that be?" James Possible wondered aloud as he got to his feet and headed out of the kitchen. "Are any of us expecting visitors tonight?" he called from the main room.

"Not that I know of," Ann called back, walking out of the kitchen to meet whoever their visitor was.

Kim stayed in the kitchen and fished her kimmunicator out of her pocket to call Ron up and plan their outing tomorrow. She was already speed dialing her boyfriend's number when she heard her mother's voice calling her to come in the main room. "Coming Mom!" she called back, turning off her kimmunicator and promising that she would call Ron later on. Kim walked out of the kitchen only to halt in her tracks as she stared at Director Betty and Wade who stood with her parents. "Director? Wade?" She clearly looked surprised. "What are the two of you doing here?"

The director nodded her head to the teen hero. "I apologize for the sudden visit," she started. "But I need your assistance immediately," Betty continued, gesturing at the genius at her side. "I took the liberty of contacting Wade Load here to help you prepare for this emergency mission."

Kim put a hand on each of her parent's shoulders to stop them from reacting violently. "It's alright," she told them. To the director, she asked, "What is this mission about?"

As Betty explained, Wade lugged a metal chest crate from outside into the living room. "We've recently received reports that Professor Dementor has set up a new base in the cold forests of Finland." She put up her hand and shook her head at the impending question of the redhead. "Don't ask me why he chose that country of all places for the location of his base," she told Kim. "That's why I sent Will Du to infiltrate the base and report back to me."

"So is Dementor up to something again?"

Betty let out a long breath and shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know and that's the problem." She took out her personalized communications device and turned it on. "Just a while ago, I received a video call from Will Du." She accessed her inbox and picked the first message on the list. "Watch this," she said, handing the device to Kim. A holographic screen shone in the empty air above the device.

On the screen, the familiar dark-haired top agent of Global Justice was on his knees in a dark corner. _"Will Du here,"_ the voice reported. _"I have successfully infiltrated Professor Dementor's base and getting ready to explore the interior further." _The scene moved to show a large machine emitting blue sparks in the background. _"It appears the professor has created another invention that will bring about the destruction of the world, although I'm not too sure what it does."_

"Typical of Professor Dementor," Kim murmured as she continued to watch the recording.

"_Hold on…"_ Will suddenly said in the video, focusing the camera at two figures entering the room through large metal doors. _"It seems Dementor has an accomplice."_ He fell silent as the two far off figures walked to the large machine in the middle of the room.

"_Are ye sure this will work?" _an unmistakable Scottish accent came with the voice who spoke. _"A machine like this doesn't seem so… destructive looking," _the man finished.

"_Of course it will work! This machine will gather all the electric current from within the air and store it in this tank!"_ the other man replied with a hint of irritation in his voice. _"Once the tank is near bursting, I will add my _secret_ ingredient, which will up the voltage by more than a thousand times! The control panel here will let me direct the beam of deadly electricity to any part of the world and when the beam hits, it will fry everyone within a 300-mile radius into a crisp!"_ Dementor started to laugh.

"_Now what _secret_ ingredient be this?" _the Scottish man asked, sounding skeptical about the claim of the Professor.

"_Why should I tell you that when I said it was a secret?"_ Dementor snapped back.

"_Now don't you go yapping at me in that tone tiny! I was the one after all who brought you to this place and let you build on _my _property!"_

"_It's a good thing you did because it would have been an utter waste of money to build a golf course in the middle of a cold and unpopulated forest!" _Dementor retorted.

The scene went back to focus on the hiding Will Du. _"From what I have gathered, this new invention is a great threat. I suggest that you immediately send reinforcements to the area code I sent recently. It probably wouldn't hurt to get Kim-" _there was a loud thump in the background and the sound of a body falling to the ground.

"_Scheming little laddy, eh?"_

"_It is good that you heard him," _Dementor commented. _"Guards! Take this spy to the containment cells below!" _The screen showed two pairs of feet and two other pairs of feet that walked towards the unconscious body of Will Du and dragged him away. _"Ah he brought a communications device with him!"_

"_Not to worry Dementor. I know just the thing to fix it!"_ Then with the sound of metal hitting against metal and concrete, the video went into darkness.

Kim frowned and returned the device to the director. "Obviously the accomplice Professor Dementor is Duff Killigan," Kim said. "So you want me to head to Finland, infiltrate the base, rescue Will Du and destroy Dementor's invention?"

"Sharp as usual Kim Possible," Betty complimented with a nod of approval. "Wade here will outfit you with the proper equipment needed for this mission and you will rendezvous with Team Impossible in Finland."

"Come on Kim," Wade pulled on the redhead's arm. "I've got a few gadgets here for you that will definitely help you out since your battle suit is undergoing maintenance and upgrading." He and Kim walked to one side of the living room with the metal crate Wade brought along with him.

While Kim received detailed information about her new equipment, Doctors Ann and James Possible led Director Betty into their kitchen. "Are you certain that Kim will be able to handle this mission?" Ann asked, peeking through the doorway to look at her daughter. "This is quite a dangerous mission compared to the others she's been to since recovering."

"I am confident in your daughter's abilities," Betty told them. "She will be adequately backed-up by Team Impossible and the squad of Global Justice agents I assigned to her." She crossed her arms over her chest. "There's also the fact that there's no one else who could do this mission except for her. She knows how to deal with these two criminals," Betty explained to the pair of worried parents.

"Director, what about that protection you told me that you were going to arrange?" James asked.

The director nodded her head. "You need not worry about that. I cannot give you the details, but rest assured your daughter will be well-looked out for."

"Mom! Dad! I'm ready to go!" Kim called from the living room.

Betty and the two doctors went to the living room to bid the redhead good luck and goodbye. "You will be in constant contact with Wade as you infiltrate Dementor and Killigan's base," Betty instructed, observing that the teen hero had already donned her mission outfit of a fit purple shirt, black pants held up by a brown belt, a leg pouch wrapped around her thigh and matching gloves. "You should wear your winter mission over than when you arrive at Finland," Betty suggested as Wade handed the maroon mission outfit for winter to the redhead. "At this time of the year, it's cold enough to give a person hypothermia by staying outside for less than an hour."

Kim nodded her head and stepped forward to give her parents a hug. "I'll be alright Mom and Dad," she told them after she pulled away. "I'll come over to visit in a few weeks!" She turned to face the director with utmost seriousness written on her face. "How will I get to Finland?"

"Don't worry about that," Wade answered. "I've arranged for it already."

* * *

_Finland – twenty hours later at a small clearing in the expansive forest_

* * *

On the ground, no one would expect that there was a black F-16 fighter jet using it as an impromptu dock. The tall trees that surrounded the clearing gave enough cover for the jet except that it could have been spotted from the air. The aircraft was an imposing weapon of war capable of flying at high speeds and doing extensive damage with its wide array of weapons, which included missiles, heavy metal piercing bullets and bombs. This particular jet fighter was of course modified to fit the specifications of the pilot and owner. Originally, the F-16 or the Fighting Falcon could only lift off the conventional way, but after some thorough modifications, it now possessed the capability of vertical lift off. The fuselage and the wings of the aircraft were also modified to make it sleeker and more able to cut through the air with less resistance. With its modified appearance, the nickname of "viper," which the Air Force pilots fondly called it now applied even more.

Shego had to agree and she preferred the nickname of "viper" compared to "fighting falcon." After all, it was her jet and she could very well relate more to the first name. Her F-16 jet was the first love of her life, the second being her Ducati motorcycle. Unlike what most people thought, the jet was a gift to her and not something she stole from the military. All the modifications to the craft were paid for by cold hard cash that was generated through her legal investments.

The villainess was at her apartment getting ready to go to bed when she received the call from the director of Global Justice. Kimmie was being sent off to Finland to dispatch both Professor Dementor and Duff Killigan and at the same time rescue Will Du who had been captured. The director wanted her to head out now and get to Finland first before her redheaded charge got there so she did as she was ordered. In twenty minutes, Shego had prepared all her equipment, her automatic Beretta gun loaded and resting in her leg holster wrapped around her calf, five cartridges of ammo secured at the back of her utility belt and a sheathed KM2000 combat knife hidden up her sleeve. She was once again in her disguise, which consisted of the racing suit, the attached skin-tone changing patch, high and loose collar leather jacket and the shades. She didn't bother to bring any more with her, sure that Kim and the rest of the Global Justice goons going along with the hero would be able to handle the situation.

Shego had piloted the F-16 jet and quietly landed it in a small clearing in the forest several miles away from the supposed base of Professor Dementor and Duff Killigan. Once she had cut off the engines and jumped out of the cockpit, Shego then proceeded to warm herself up just in case she needed to involve herself in the tussle. After a good ten minutes of stretching and shadow sparring against a tree, the ex-hero sat herself on a smooth large rock a few meters away from her jet. Over an hour had passed when she finally got the call that Kim had arrived and was preparing to infiltrate the base.

Releasing a long breath, Shego stood up and once more checked her equipment. Seeing that everything seemed to be in place, the raven-haired woman tied her hair back into a ponytail and slipped it into her leather jacket. With that done, she then switched the skin-tone changing patch on then zipped her jacket all the way up. Finally, Shego donned her shades and put on her power-dampening gloves. Letting out another breath that emerged as white wisps of smoke, the disguised protector sprinted off towards the forest. It would take her some time to get to the base and she hoped that Kim would have finished the job by that time.

* * *

_Professor Dementor and Duff Killigan's Forest Base…_

* * *

At an unguarded area of the expansive and unheated base, a redhead quietly slid down from an opening on the roof by lowering herself down with her grappling gun. The dimly lit room was one of the dozens of room located in the stone and metal facility hidden within the depths of one of Finland's forests. Kim silently landed on the tips of her toes, detaching the rope from the grappling gun. Stealthily making her way to the cover of one large machine, Kim brought out her kimmunicator and contacted her backup. "Kim here," she spoke into the device. "I'm inside."

"_Very well,"_ Dash Demond replied from the other line. _"Proceed with caution. For the moment, Crash and Burn will remain at their positions. They will infiltrate the base and assist you if you run into trouble." _

"Alright," Kim said softly. "Did Wade send you the detailed map of this base?" she asked.

"_I'm sending it to you now."_

Kim let out a relieved breath when the map appeared on the screen of her kimmunicator. "I'm assuming the two red dots are Dementor and Killigan, the white dots are the guards and the green dot is Will," she guessed.

"_Correct,"_ Dash said. _"I took the liberty to classify the people afoot in the base so that you would be able to find Will Du without encountering much resistance,"_ he explained. _"Any other questions before you begin?"_

Kim shook her head. "None. Wish me luck!" She turned off her kimmunicator and put it on silent. She wouldn't want it to ring so suddenly as she stalked through the hallways of the hidden base. From what she saw from the map, there were roughly forty or so guards patrolling the halls. Kim needed to be very careful while she made her way to where the top agent of Global Justice was imprisoned. "Alright, time to get to work!" The redhead rubbed her arms to warm them from the cold for a few seconds. Despite wearing her normal mission outfit with her winter outfit on top of it, she still felt cold. "I'll get warmer as I move my body," she told herself, moving towards the door and sliding it open.

Carefully peeking outside, Kim saw that there were no sentries in that particular hallway. With an extra look up and down the hallway, she then stepped out of the room and headed west. The blinking green dot on her map told her that Will Du was located somewhere in the western area of the base. She had to hurry for she wasn't sure if the top agent was injured or not.

Stalking down two more hallways, Kim sought shelter behind a thick column that held up the roof when she heard faint voices at the other end of the hallway. Kim moved around the column as two sentries walked past while carrying on their conversation.

"That agent has quite a mouth on him," one of the guards said with annoyance.

"I agree. He talks too much for comfort." Both the guards laughed and continued walking before turning into another hall.

_I'm close then,_ Kim thought as she left her hiding place and continued heading west. After close to ten minutes of sneaking through halls and hiding from passing sentries, Kim arrived at a metal sliding door. Conferring with her map, she realized that this was indeed the place where Will Du was contained. She quickly checked if the coast is clear before opening the door and slipping inside. There were a total of three cells with bars made of laser beams preventing prisoners from escaping. It was in the first cell that Kim found the scowling Will Du.

"Kim Possible," Will greeted, getting to his feet and walking towards the laser beams that separated him from his freedom. "I assume that the director sent you to… stop the professor and his mad golfer accomplice," he finished.

Kim grinned at the young man. "Why can't you just say that the director sent me to save you?" she teased, her jade green eyes brightening with amusement. Before the agent could voice out his retort, Kim held up her hand and looked around for the control panel. "No time for arguments," she said, spotting the control panel and walking over to it.

"It's the third button to the right of the monitor and on the third row," Will announced. "I spotted the guards press that button to put up these laser beams after they threw me into this cell," he explained, shrugging his shoulders. "My thanks," he told Kim when the laser beams disappeared. "Come on! I overheard the guards who were in here earlier that Dementor is going to fire the first super high voltage beam!"

Suddenly the room glowed bright red as loud alarms deafened them. "Damn it! I should have known that turning off the laser beams would make the alarms go off!" Kim threw the door open and motioned for Will to follow her. "Hurry, we have to get to that machine before Dementor launches his attack!" She and the agent exited to room and ran down the hallways, referring to the map to get to where the two criminals were located.

"Duck!" Will commanded as the first few sentries ran towards them. As the redhead got down to the floor, the dark-haired agent brought up his Taser watch and fired three wires into three of the henchmen's bodies. As the three guard's bodies convulsed uncontrollably, Kim got back to her feet and took care of the remaining two guards with a quick, but deadly combination of kicks aimed at the head and stomach. All five guards dropped to the ground unconscious from the simultaneous attack of Kim and Will.

"Just a bit further!" Kim said, fishing out her kimmunicator and contacting Dash. "Dash! The alarms went off! Will and I are on our way to Dementor and Killigan."

"_Roger that," _Dash replied. _"Crash and Burn are on their way inside. They'll meet with you in the room where that weapon is located."_

Kim pocketed her kimmunicator and turned into the next hallway, slowing down as it opened up to a large room.

"You're too late Kim Possible!" Professor Dementor announced from atop his raised control panel. "Just two more minutes and this glorious machine will be ready to wipe a particular state off the face of the earth!" He began to voice out his evil laugh.

"How lame," Kim muttered to herself as she observed her surroundings. Twenty of the professor's henchmen were slowly making their way towards her and Will. She wouldn't be able to take care of all the guards even with the help of Will in two minutes. Her only option was to either take out Dementor or take out the machine. "Think again Dementor!" she shouted as she leaped into action. She tackled two soldiers then flipped into the air, deftly landing on the shoulders of another guard then launching herself into the air towards the high perch of the professor.

Before the hero could grab hold of the short criminal, a golf ball flew into the air between her and the professor. _Oh no…_ Kim thought as she covered her face with her arms. As she expected the golf ball exploded and knocked her down onto the ground. As she struggled to regain her breath and get back onto her feet, she could hear the distinctive laughter of the Scottish golfer.

"I don't think so lass!" Duff Killigan shouted, twirling his gold club in one hand and tossing one of his exploding golf balls on the other. "Now be a good lass and let this ball hit its mark!" The Scottish man rolled a golf ball onto the floor and with one powerful swing sent it flying towards the redhead. "Aww come on lassie!" Duff complained when the redhead leaped out of the way and avoided the explosion. "No matter! This next one is surely going to hit!" He fished out another ball from his golf bag and was about to hit it when he was suddenly tackled from behind by a blue-suited Burns Burmin.

"Hurry!" Burns shouted as he pinned the golfer to the ground.

At the other end of the room, Crash Cranstin was wrestling with the remaining guards with Will Du covering his back with his watch Taser. "Thirty seconds!" the daredevil shouted, as he threw one henchman over his head.

Kim's mind scrambled as she thought of a way to stop the weapon from firing at whatever state it was set to fire at. Then her green eyes locked on a stationary golf ball on the floor. She knew then what to do. Running forward, Kim scooped the white ball up and ran towards Burns. "Burns! Give me a boost!" she shouted, jumping into the air towards the powerfully built man.

Delivering one accurate punch at Duff Killigan's face and knocking him out, Burns got into position and cupped his hands together. As the redhead's foot connected with his hands, he let out a loud yell of effort as he launched the hero towards the elevated platform of the professor.

"End of the line, professor!" Kim shouted in midair as she threw the exploding golf ball at the control panel. As the ball connected with the panel, Kim wall-kicked away from the weapon and landed on the ground. The platform burst into flames as debris rained down onto the ground together with an unconscious Professor Dementor.

Burns came over with Duff Killigan slumped over one shoulder and one-handedly picked up the other criminal. "We got to get out of here!" he told Kim as he whistled for Crash and Will to gather. "I'm sure the explosion will screw that weapon's system and eventually self-destruct," he told everyone. "So move!" he ordered, sprinting out of the crumbling room along with the rest of his companions.

They managed to make it outside with the rest of the henchmen who decided that now was not the time to continue fighting with their foes. Kim was just about already onboard the helicopter with the rest of Team Impossible, Will Du and the two knocked out criminals when she saw the doorway of the base collapse on top of an escaping henchman.

"What are you doing?" Dash shouted as Kim leaped out of the helicopter and landed on the ground hard. "Don't bother with him! It's too late!" the leader of Team Impossible shouted from the opened sides of the helicopter.

Kim ignored the man's obvious disregard for life and ran towards the trapped man. "Help me!" she told the panicked sentry, grabbing hold of a particular heavy piece of metal pinning him to the ground. Lifting with her lower back and leg muscles, Kim inched the metal piece upward with some effort from the trapped man. Lifted high enough, Kim ordered, "Hurry! Get out and run!" She waited as the man crawled out, got onto his feet and ran off into the forest without even thanking or helping the redhead.

"Kim! Drop it and get out of there!" Dash shouted from the helicopter. "The weapon's coming out of the base!" He pointed up at the roof of the base as a tower of metal riddled with dangerous blue sparks rose out. _"Come here now!"_

The teen hero dropped the heavy piece of metal, turned on her heel and began to run towards the helicopter. "Drop the rope!" she shouted up at them, sprinting as fast as she can, keeping her eyes up at the sky. It was a careless mistake for she didn't see a large rock on the ground. With a surprised yelp, Kim stepped on the rock, twisted her ankle and fell to the ground.

"Kim!" Will shouted, grabbing hold of the rope and readying himself to slide down its length.

"No!" Crash held the young man back and pointed at the malfunctioning weapon on the roof of the base. "It's going to fire!" His eyes widening in both fear and realization as a large ball of blue sparking energy collected at the top of the weapon-tower.

Burns looked at the weapon then down at Kim. "It's going to fire at the ground!" he shouted, just as a large current the blue high voltage beam shot towards the ground.

Will leaned out of the helicopter, defying gravity only through Crash who was holding onto the back of his suit. _"Kim! Get out of the way!"_ he shouted, hoping that teen hero would be able to evade the beam in time.

Kim rolled to her back in time to see the blue bolt racing towards her. She tried to get to her feet, but piercing pain shot up her leg from her twisted ankle. It was too late. Kim did the only thing she could do… she raised her arms and covered her face, knowing that it was useless. She wanted to close her eyes as the blue bolt was about to hit, but just as she was about to do that a figure clad in black leaped in front of her, gloved hands stretched out as if preparing to catch the deadly beam. "Don't!" she screamed at her mysterious protector just as the blue bolt of high voltage energy collided into the outstretched hands of the biker in a bright explosion of white and blue.

"Kim!" Will shouted as the force of the blast pushed the chopper away from the area.

Back on the ground, Kim stared in awe as her protector managed to control the blue bolt with her hands. The biker's feet skidded backward as she fought to deflect the deadly beam away from the redhead. Booted feet slipping even closer towards Kim, the biker leg and arm muscles flexed all together as she first retracted her arms the pushed forward, deflecting the blue beam back at its source. There was loud explosion as the blue bolt connected with Dementor's invention.

The biker turned around and grabbed hold of Kim's arms, hauling her up to her feet. Burning debris rained down from the skies as the biker quickly slung one of Kim's arms around her shoulders. Breaking into a run and practically carrying the redhead along with her, the woman clad in the black racing suit and leather jacket sprinted towards the forest as one more mighty explosion blasted through the base, sending deadly debris projectiles through the air.

Kim heard the biker grunt out once in pain as a strong shockwave sent the both of them flying. The injured teen hero immediately passed out as another shockwave knocked both her and her protector to the ground. The last thing she saw was the shade-covered and collar-hidden face of her protector as the unknown woman's arms wrapped around her body in midair.

The she fell into oblivion.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**Surprised? Less than a day has gone by and I managed to write and upload another chapter. Hahahaha! I just happened to be in the mood to write when I woke up this morning so I turned on my laptop and started typing.**_

_**I happened to enjoy making this particular chapter. Perhaps it's because it's so action-packed and fast-paced. I am hoping that you guys also enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. :) The next chapter will probably be up in a few days or so. I have a lot of work next week, but I'll see what I can do. **_

_**Just for your information, Kim won't find out yet in the next chapter if our biker/protector is indeed Shego in disguise. That'll happen two chapters after the next chapter I upload. Hehe. I already planned it out. **_

_**As of the moment, I will take a break and start thinking about how the next chapter will turn out.**_

_**Next Chapter: Connection **_


	5. Connection

_Chapter 5: "Connection"_

There was an inept silence between the three adults as the only child in the group fidgeted nervously in his seat. "I must have just heard wrong, director," James Possible said, his green eyes darkening. "Did you just say that _our _daughter is missing in action?" It was clear that he was struggling to control his voice from rising.

"I said _temporarily _missing in action, Doctor Possible," Betty corrected. "The mission went off without a hitch except for the raised alarms and the malfunctioning weapon invented by Professor Dementor," she explained, ignoring the dark looks Kim Possible's parents were giving her. "From what Dash Demond of Team Impossible reported, Kim was already onboard with them on the helicopter when she decided to bail and save a henchman trapped under debris."

Ann Possible exchanged a tight smile with her husband. "You know how she is, dear," she told him, squeezing his hand. "She wouldn't leave someone for dead just like that." She focused her attention once more at the director of Global Justice. "What happened? Why wasn't she able to escape after the freeing the henchman?"

"Kim managed to destroy the main control panel of the Blue Bolt weapon," Betty narrated, noting the strange looks she was given. She let out a long breath. "Team Impossible has just finished interrogating Dementor and he claims that the weapon's name is the Blue Bolt," she explained. "Anyway, this Blue Bolt malfunctioned after the control panel was destroyed by Kim. It rose out of the roof of the base and fired a beam directed at your daughter who was still on the ground."

The neurosurgeon put a shaky hand up to her face and took a few steps back. "Then Kim is…" she whispered, falling back onto the couch.

The director shook her head. "I'm positive that your daughter isn't dead," she told both parents. "The blast produced a shockwave that threw the helicopter out of the area, but Will Du claims that he saw an unknown black figure suddenly appear." Betty crossed her arms over her chest and looked seriously at both the doctors. "From here on, I can't say that I believe what my top agent claims is true," she warned them. "Apparently, the beam that was supposed to hit Kim was deflected by this unknown entity using his bare hands."

"Are you certain?" James asked, taking a seat next to his wife and putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's hard to believe that a beam of that proportion and voltage was deflected by the mere use of someone's hands," he admitted, seeing his wife nod in agreement.

Betty let out a long sigh. "You'll have to take my word on this one," she told them, deciding that it was time for her to reveal some secrets, but only to some extent. "This black figure that deflected Blue Bolt's beam is definitely capable of pulling off such an act."

"You seem like you know this stranger," Ann pointed out, frowning at how things were turning out.

"I do," Betty replied. "But I cannot reveal who this person is," she continued before the two parents could ask their questions. "Doctor James Possible," she said, looking at him with her remaining eye. "I kept my word when you asked me to put added protection to your daughter. I went through extensive lengths to get this particular fighter to protect Kim."

"The biker woman Kim was talking about?" Wade asked, finally gathering enough courage to enter the conversation between the adults.

James Possible's brows furrowed in disapproval. "You hired a biker to protect my daughter?" he demanded.

"Not an ordinary biker," Betty amended. She turned to address the young genius. "I see that Kim has been asking you about the protector I hired to guard her," she told the boy.

Wade scratched the top of his head and looked sheepishly up at the director. "Well, you know how Kim is really persistent when she wants to get to the bottom of something," he said ruefully. "This biker woman who Kim has been telling me about has saved her twice, not counting what occurred in Finland, since the cyborg attacked," he explained for the benefit of Kim's parents. "The second time around, she asked me to do some research about her, but I couldn't find anything useful." He brought out his communicator and tapped a few buttons. A holographic screen appeared over the device and showed the adults the two images he had of Kim's protector.

James leaned closer to look at the picture. "So it's indeed a woman who has been protecting Kim," he mused, rubbing his chin in thought. "She looks so ordinary except for the fact that she looks like she's trying to hide her identity," he continued, noting the full-faced helmet on the first image and the shades and high collar on the second one.

"The disguise is needed," Betty explained. "It is for the best the no one knows who this protector is and I would prefer that you stop querying about her," she told both the doctors. "As for you Wade Load, I would highly suggest that you stop hacking into the archives of Global Justice to get such sensitive information." She smirked as the dark-skinned boy blushed. "Even if you do get into the archives, you won't be able to find anything about the identity of this person," Betty added.

"What about our daughter?" Ann pressed, still looking quite concerned.

"The search and rescue teams are already scouring through the surrounding forest. It may take some time because an unexpected snowstorm rolled into that area." Betty glanced at a nearby wall clock and made her way for the door. "I assure you though that the person I hired to protect your daughter will do her job properly," she told them as she stepped out of the house. "Even in a snowstorm."

* * *

_Finland – A few hours after the explosion_

* * *

Her head was throbbing painfully as she felt recurring warmth on her right side. _Where am I? What happened?_ Kim slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times to clear her blurred vision. After a few moments, she realized that she was staring up at the ceiling of what looked to be a cave. _The explosion!_ She bolted up to a sitting position and winced in pain as her head throbbed. _It must have knocked me out. _Kim felt pain in her twisted right ankle and reached down to prod it. "Sprained," she murmured to herself as she eyed the rest of her surroundings.

Something dropped into the redhead's lap. The heroine glanced down and stared in confusion at the leather jacket. "Whose jacket is this?" she wondered aloud, realizing that it must have been placed on top of her to keep her warm while she was unconscious. Suddenly, her green orbs widened in realization as she held the leather jacket to her chest. Hurriedly looking around the cave, Kim searched for her anonymous protector. Her eyes first rested on the mouth of the cave, seeing that it was still dark and that a fierce snowstorm was raging outside. To her right, she realized that the warmth came from a small crackling fire. The right wall of the cave behind held nothing of interest as Kim craned her body to the left.

_There!_ Kim thought as her eyes rested on a seated figure leaning against the left wall of the cave with her head slumped down. It was indeed her anonymous protector albeit an unconscious one. Kim fought off the cold shivers that ran through her body as she looked over the body of the woman. Without the leather jacket, the face of the woman was free to be looked at except for the heavily tinted sports shades that remained on her face. Kim still could not see her protector's face properly because her head was slumped forward.

The redhead was overly curious. This was her chance to find out who her protector was so she got on her hands and knees and cautiously crawled forward towards the sleeping woman. She was less than foot away when the heavy leather jacket dropped to the ground, metal buckles and the zipper clanking noisily against the stone floor. Within seconds, the sleeping woman clad in the black racing suit sprung up to her feet and threw up her arm to cover the lower part of her face.

"I-I-," Kim stuttered as she struggled to come up with an explanation. "I… just wanted to see if you were alright," she lied, hitting herself mentally for coming up with such a lame alibi. She watched as her protector quickly turned around and hid her face away from Kim. "You really don't want me to find out who you are, don't you?" Kim asked, looking up at the imposing figure standing with her back facing the redhead. The hero's jade green orbs caught sight of a steady stream of red liquid dripping down to the ground from the other woman's left arm. "You're bleeding!" Kim exclaimed, getting up to her feet and wincing at the pain in her ankle. She stepped forward, favoring her sprained foot and reached out with her hand, but stopped when her protector shook her head. "Please…" she begged the unknown woman. "Let me help! You'll lose blood and probably face an infection if nothing is done to treat your wound."

It seemed like forever had gone when the biker finally let out a grunt and turned back around, raising her uninjured arm to cover the lower part of her face. From Kim's position, she could see the extent of her protector's injuries as she traced the trail of blood up the arm of the other woman and saw an ugly and long piece of charred metal embedded in the biker's forearm. Kim hissed out in sympathy as she took in the sight. To her protector, she asked, "Sit? I need to get a closer look at your injury." A sense of relief coursed through her when the other woman sat on the ground and leaned back on the cave's wall. "It hasn't gone all the way through your arm thankfully," Kim concluded as she eyed the wound, her eyes frequently glancing at her protector. It was useless even to look, because her mysterious savior was looking the other way and making an effort to keep her uninjured arm over the lower half of her face.

Taking a few more moments to examine the injury, Kim then sat back on her heels and gazed worriedly at her protector who still refused to look at her. "I need to take the metal piece out," she told the other woman. "If it stays in there, you'll get an infection," she explained, watching as her protector reached out with her uninjured arm, grasped the torn sleeve of her other arm and ripped it away. With the sleeve gone, Kim could see tense wiry muscles underneath the crimson-stained alabaster skin.

Reaching out with her hands, the redhead suddenly paused when her fingers were a mere few inches away from the embedded projectile. "It will hurt," she pointed out then watched once more as the biker grabbed a nearby stick and bit into it. "Ummm… alright… brace yourself!" She gripped the edge of the metal and with one hard jerk, pulled the metal out and landed on her back. Kim threw the metal aside as two pieces of the stick fell to the floor from the biker's mouth. "Sorry," Kim told her protector who spat out chunks of wood. "We need to wrap that up," she announced, looking around for something to use. She couldn't use the torn sleeve of the biker's racing suit and there wasn't anything useful in the cave that could actually help her.

Then she looked down at her winter mission outfit and suddenly got an idea. Spotting a discarded utility belt, Beretta gun and sheathed combat knife on the ground nearby, Kim took the knife and unsheathed it. With steady precision, Kim sliced through the cloth at the junction of her shoulder and arm and tore the rest of the sleeve off. Shrugging off the detached sleeve, Kim cut the sleeve into strips, sheathed the knife and set it back on the ground with the rest of her protector's equipment. The hero quickly tied the long strips together end by end and silently thanked her mother for signing her up for emergency and survival first aid. Inching forward once more with the makeshift bandage, Kim offered an assuring smile at her injured protector. "May I?" she asked permission, then proceeded to carefully wrap the offered arm.

She worked quickly, wrapping the bandage firmly around the biker's forearm. Securing the bandage with a knot, Kim moved back and looked over her work. "Pretty good huh?" she said. "I learned all that from an emergency and survival first aid course my mom made me take." The redhead moved to her protector's side and leaned against the cave's wall. "How long have I been out cold?" she asked, expecting that if her protector was going to answer it was going to be either through head movement or hand signs.

As she thought, her protector brought up her uninjured arm and flashed her four fingers. After signing her answer, the biker reached out with her foot, snagged her leather jacket and proceeded to put it back on. It was apparent to the redhead that her protector was stubbornly going to try to keep her identity a secret from her. Kim could only watch as her mysterious savior zipped up her jacket and fixed the collar to hide the lower half of her face.

"Four hours?" Kim asked, glancing out of the cave's entrance and frowned at the snowstorm. "My parents and my comrades must be worrying about me." She glanced at her fully disguised protector once more. "Have you any word from my friends?" Kim asked then released a sigh when she was answered with a headshake. "I'm guessing we'll have to wait for this snowstorm to move on before we can head out."

She was answered with a nod of the head. Kim decided that she should keep quiet and try to get as much rest as she can rather than bother her protector with her questions. Instead, Kim curled up by the cave wall, a few feet away from her companion and hugged her knees to her chest. Despite the small fire, Kim felt cold especially her face, neck and arm, which were exposed to the weather. She managed to doze off for around half an hour when a sudden gust of cold air entered the cave and blew out the fire. The teen hero watched as her protector pushed herself away from the cave's wall and headed to the makeshift fire pit, trying to ignite it back to flame. Minutes had gone by when Kim heard a disgruntled sound from her protector and the sounds of flint being discarded deeper into the cave.

_So this is how it's going to end,_ Kim thought as she hid her face in her knees, body shaking violently from the cold. She struggled to control her breathing as she listened to her protector moving about in the cave. _How is it that she's able to move around like that in this kind of cold?_ Kim wondered, slightly amused that her own mind's voice quavered from the cold. She let out a shaky breath just as she felt a body radiating with warmth settle beside her. Wearily raising her head up, Kim gave her protector a confused look.

Her mind wasn't working properly now as her instincts took over. The young girl's freezing body moved closer and pressed against the unnatural and delicious warmth radiating from the biker's body. Her slightly frozen mind in a muddle, Kim didn't even realize that it was unnatural for a human to be able to radiate heat from her body. Slowly being lulled to sleep by the generated warmth, Kim closed her eyes and didn't even notice that her protector had gathered her up in her arms and pressed her freezing body against her chest.

* * *

_Why am I doing this?_ _Why am I going beyond this job to protect this girl? _

Shego leaned back against the wall and stared down at the redhead sleeping peacefully in her arms. It was just a few moments ago, when an abrupt cold wind entered the cave and extinguished the fire she had built to keep her redheaded charge warm while she was still unconscious. She had definitely gotten herself into a life-threatening situation when she arrived just at the nick of time at the base. The disguised villainess had just broken out of the woods and saw through her shades that the base was falling apart and in flames.

_I almost died pulling off such a dangerous move, _Shego thought as she lightly flexed her arms. It had taken almost her full supply of power to hold back the deadly beam and deflect it back at the power source. _I wasn't even sure that I would be able to do it…_ _I used up everything I had to protect you… _Shego raised her gloved hand and hesitantly but gently ran it through Kim's auburn hair.

She frowned as a constant throbbing pain coursed through her injured arm. The shockwaves that resulted from the base explosion had potentially threatened both their lives and she took it upon herself to use her own body as a shield to protect Kim. Because of her selflessness, Shego took a hit from a speeding projectile that had ripped through the flesh of her arm. The second and last shockwave knocked them both to the ground, but they unfortunately landed on a downward sloping part of the land. Shego had to hold the teen hero close to her body as they rolled down the slope for a good two minutes. When they finally rolled to a stop with the redhead on top of the villainess, Shego was too exhausted to move. All she could do was breathe and look up at the sky as her powers slowly replenished.

The snowstorm didn't make things any better. The ex-hero was trudging through the forest with her charge in her arms when the skies suddenly opened up and dumped loads and loads of ice and snow on them. Shego had originally planned to take the unconscious Kim to her jet and drop her off at a nearby hospital, but she had to change her plans and seek shelter at a cave. She had gotten as far as placing Kim on the ground, building a fire and putting her jacket on the girl when her body suddenly shut down. The villainess collapsed against the cave wall, not even realizing that she had left herself completely open.

She guessed that she had been out for a few hours when she heard the clank of metal against stone. Her powers almost fully charged surged through her body and brought her to full wakefulness. Thankfully, Shego was just fast enough to cover the rest of her exposed face before Kim could see her. She appeared stoic and indifferent, but inside her heart was racing with the possibility that Kim would find out who she really is.

_It was rather… thoughtful of her,_ Shego though as she gently prodded her bandaged arm. _I didn't think that she would do that for me._ She pushed down her shades and regarded the sleeping figure in her arms with her deep emerald orbs. _Kimmie didn't need to go as far as to tearing out the sleeve of her winter outfit and making it into a bandage. Pulling out the metal was enough actually, because her powers would have mended the wound with time. _Shego pushed some of the bandages down and checked to see that her flesh was starting to mend itself together. Two traits that she and her brothers shared were their enhanced metabolism and cell regeneration. People often wondered why her siblings and she in particular were able to survive calamitous events that would have killed ordinary people. They just didn't know that there was more to the powers endowed to them from the rainbow-colored comet.

A soft whine snapped Shego out of her thoughts as her redheaded charge snuggled deeper into the ex-hero's embrace. Shego could not help, but smile beneath the collar of her jacket. The princess was cute when she was asleep. _No!_ Shego thought, shaking her head furiously. _None of these unwanted feelings! Why her? Why must it be her? _Shego thought. _I have to do something before things get too far… I can't stay like this with her._

The villainess looked out of the cave's entrance and saw that the storm was starting to let up. _Just an hour or so,_ she guessed. _As soon as it's safe to go outside, I'll head out with princess and track down Team Impossible. _Shego looked down once more at the sleeping princess in her arms and could not resist but to lean down and nuzzle Kim's flowing auburn locks. Pulling back, she settled back against the wall and watched the storm die down. _The more I spend time with her… the more I feel like I'm jumping into a boundless void…_ _but… why is it that I feel such an intense heat when I'm close to her?_ Shego shook her head. _That's just me! I'm the one generating that heat… am I?_

* * *

Kim awoke to the familiar sound of feet crunching through the snow. She felt warm and a bit lightheaded as she cracked her eyes open. The first thing she saw was her hand grasping a shoulder clad in leather. The teen hero then craned her neck up and to the left, eyes widening in surprise as she saw the side of her protector's shades and collar covered face. "Uhhh… sorry," Kim apologized when her protector turned to regard her through those dark-tinted shades. The hero could feel heat in her cheeks, but chose to ignore it as she looked up at the brightening skies. "I could walk you know," Kim pointed out, feeling awkward that her anonymous protector was carrying her piggyback style. "I swear! My ankle is fine! Ow!" she cried out as her injured foot banged against the side of the biker's body. "I guess not then…" she murmured, going back to allowing the mysterious woman carry her through the forest.

"I-I," Kim stuttered as she tried to strike up some one-sided conversation with her protector. "I just wanted to thank you… for saving me back then," she let out in a quiet voice. "I probably would have died if you didn't appear and deflect that beam. You were really… amazing." She turned her head and smiled at her indifferent-looking protector. "I really appreciate all that you've done for me even if you don't want me to find out who you are." The college freshman tightened her arms around her protector's shoulders and neck and pressed the side of her face against the other woman's cheek. "Thanks ok?"

For a second, Kim almost thought that she saw a tint of red on the exposed alabaster skin of her protector, but she decided to leave it be, thinking that it was just the cold weather. They trudged on for an hour or so when the biker suddenly stopped in her tracks. "What is it?" Kim asked. "Is there something wrong?" she pressed as her protector resumed walking towards a clearing in the forest. As they got closer and closer, Kim could hear the sound of men talking. After a few more minutes of walking, the redhead and her disguised protector entered the clearing only to be surrounded by three familiar blue-suited men. "Dash! It's me!" Kim called out from the back of the biker.

The leader of Team Impossible looked genuinely surprised as his eyes rested on the missing redhead. "Kim Possible, so you are alright!" He threw a frown at the unknown biker carrying the renowned teen hero. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, his hand shifting towards his gun hanging at his utility belt.

"It's alright Dash!" Kim said quickly as she slid down to the ground. "She saved me a while back from the explosion and also helped me out a couple of times in the past," she explained to the hulking leader of the team. "Any way to contact my parents? I lost my kimmunicator in the explosion," she informed the group of three men ruefully.

Burns nodded his head and motioned for Kim to follow him towards a nearby tent. "Right this way," he said, walking ahead to the tent.

Kim stepped forward to follow when she suddenly remembered about her protector. Gingerly turning around, Kim looked up into the covered face of the biker. "Will you stay? You could come hitch a ride with us to wherever you need to be," Kim told the taller woman. "I'll make sure that they won't take you to prison or anything," she added, hoping that she would agree.

Disappointingly, the tall woman shook her head and jerked her head back at the forest, indicating that she had somewhere else to go.

"Oh…" Kim crossed her arms over her chest and scuffed her uninjured foot at the snow-covered ground. "Then I guess this is goodbye for now," she told the raven-haired woman. "Before you go though," Kim began, turning her face away from her protector. "Could you let me do something first?"

The biker cocked her head to the side and regarded the teen hero in a quizzical manner.

"Please?" Kim pleaded.

Finally, the biker stiffly nodded her head and stood there waiting.

Kim did the only thing that came into her mind to thank the unknown woman. Limping forward, the redhead wrapped her arms around the taller woman and gave her a hug. "Thanks again for saving me," she said, feeling the other woman stiffen in surprise. "What?" she demanded, pulling back a little to look up at her protector. "Can't take a hug?" she teased. Kim was just about to pull away and let the biker go on her way when she suddenly felt arms wrap around her own body and tighten. A broad grin formed on the redhead's face as she let the biker both hug and pat the top of her head.

"Kim Possible!" Burns called her from the tent. "Your parents wish to speak with you!"

The teen hero pulled away from the taller woman's embrace and gave her one last smile. "I'll see you again right?" she asked, softly smiling as the biker stiffly nodded her head once, turned around then sprinted back into the forest.

"Kim!" Burns called once more.

"Coming!" Kim called back, turning away from the forest and limping towards the communications tent. This was definitely an experience that was going to take some time telling to her parents.

* * *

"_Kim! I can't do that for you!"_ Wade told the college student.

"Come on Wade!" Kim pleaded. She had just arrived at Go City after being flown and dropped off via Team Impossible's Jet from Finland. She made a quick trip to the hospital to have her ankle checked out before heading back to her apartment to rest. "This time I'm sure about this! It has to be the best lead yet to finding out who this protector is!"

"_I'm not going to hack into Global Justice's archives to help you with what you want!" _Wade argued back. _"I definitely don't want to get on the bad side of Director Betty!" _he added with a shiver. _"Who knows what she's capable of doing to a kid who specializes in hacking like me?"_

Kim sighed and took in a long breath. "Wade, you're not going to need to hack into Global Justice's archives. I don't think getting this particular information requires the use of their archives," Kim explained in a gentle voice. "I'm sure you'll need to hack into the military's database to find this out!"

"_The military?" _Wade demanded, looking a bit interested. _"Hmmm… now that I can do," _he admitted with a smile. _"Now what is it that you want me to look up?"_

The Go City freshman took a flash drive and plugged it into her brand new kimmunicator. "Take a look at these pictures I got when Team Impossible and I were on our way out of Finland on their jet." She waited for the boy genius to extract the files and to take a look at them.

"_A fighter jet, Kim?"_ Wade looked up from his computer.

Kim nodded. "Not just any fighter jet, Wade," she replied. "It's a black fighter jet."

"_And you're assuming that just because it's black, it's owned by that biker woman?"_ Wade asked, sounding a little bit sarcastic.

"Look at the other photos please," Kim ordered, watching the boy click a few buttons.

"_Oh. I see now."_ Wade nodded his head. _"You actually got a close enough picture to see who was piloting the fighter jet."_ He zoomed into the picture a couple of times and showed Kim the familiar face covered by the dark shades and the high collar of a leather jacket. _"So what do you suggest I do?"_

"Crash said that the fighter jet piloted by my mysterious protector looked like an F-16 Fighting Falcon," Kim explained. "Except that it underwent some modifications," she continued, noting the shape of the wings and the fuselage. "These jets are exclusively only used by the Air Force and shouldn't be in the possession of an unknown woman," Kim hypothesized.

"_So you want me to check if the US Air Force has a F-16 fighter jet missing?"_

"Please and thank you," Kim told the dark-skinned boy. "Think you could tell me everything you found by tonight? I've been given two days off by the university to recover from my previous mission in Finland." She limped to her room and propped her injured foot up on two pillows.

Wade nodded his head as he busily typed away on his keyboard. _"I'll see what I can do."_ He waved goodbye then hung up.

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

_**Surprised again? hahaha! I surprised myself too actually. I was in the mood again to write so I decided to see what I'd come up with today. Anyway, it's a shorter chapter compared to the previous three, but I hope it was enough to make you guys enjoy. **_

_**As promised, chapter 7 will revolve around Kim finding out who her mysterious protector is. Unfortunately, I won't be able to upload the next chapter right away. I have to admit I sacrificed some "study time" to get this chapter done so I have to make up for it for the next few days. **_

_**Next Chapter: Skepticism **_


	6. Skepticism

_Chapter 6: "Skepticism"_

It was a crisp and chilly November Friday when Kim Possible finally decided to make use of the information Wade had passed on to her a few weeks ago. Almost a month had gone by since her mission in the forests of Finland and since she had last seen her protector. After her sprained ankle had healed, the redhead hoped that the biker would once again make an appearance during her missions, but to no avail. Perhaps it was because Kim's missions weren't as dangerous and life-threatening as compared to the last one. She did notice that the unknown woman would only appear if she were in need of dire help.

"Are you sure you set up an appointment with him, Wade?" Kim conversed with the genius through her kimmunicator. "I hardly believe that the Lieutenant General of Go City Air Force Base would agree to meet me," she said, as she walked towards the guarded gate of the base. The US Air Force had set up a large base on the outskirts of Go City after realizing that it was a nest brimming with potential pilots.

"Why are you worrying? I really did set an appointment for you to meet with the Lieutenant General!" Wade assured his friend. "I realized that simply calling and asking if you could have an audience was considerably safer than hacking into the military's database," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "If you don't believe me, then ask the checkpoint's guards. They should already have been informed that you're being expected by their superior."

"Oh alright! I'll just ask." Kim straightened her back and approached the pair of guards. "Excuse me," she began, meeting the gazes of the men. "I have an appointment with the Lieutenant General?"

One of the men slipped into the booth and made a quick phone call. He then came back outside, flipping through sheets of paper on a clipboard. "Kim Possible I presume?" The guard looked up.

"Yes that's me," Kim replied.

The guard nodded and thrust both the clipboard and a pen at the redhead. "Please sign here" He waited as the girl put her signature before signaling for his comrade to raise the gate. "You will find the general at the third aircraft hangar," he informed the girl with a stiff nod.

"How will I know who he is?" Kim asked, walking past the raised gate.

"You'll know," the other guard spoke up. "Go along now. We can't entertain you for the rest of the day." He and his fellow guard brought down the gate and once again focused their attention elsewhere.

The redhead walked towards the row of five aircraft hangars while muttering to herself. "How am I supposed to know who the Lieutenant General is when I've never seen him before?" she wondered aloud. As she made her way towards the third hangar, Kim took some time to look around the expansive grounds that served as the base. In one open area, there were close to a hundred soldiers doing drills and in another area there were a variety of fighter jets undergoing maintenance. Everything seemed to be in good order and she knew that whoever ran this place must have done it with an iron hand.

Finally, Kim reached the third hangar and could only gape as she walked through its enormous doors. The aircraft hangar was the size of ten football fields placed side by side and around two hundred feet tall. Inside were a variety of bombers, transport carriers and fighter jets, some of which deeply resembled the black jet piloted by Kim's protector. Walking further inside, the teen hero spotted a group of uniformed men talking with each other by a plane that had helicopter blades on each wing.

Gathering her courage and hiding her interest, Kim walked over to the group of men and cleared her throat. "Pardon me," Kim began, feeling the hair on the back of her neck prickle in nervousness. "I'm here to see the Lieutenant General?" She struggled to keep the gazes of the men.

"At ease," a deep voice sounded from behind the men. "Colonel Anderson have your men do a maintenance check on the V-22 Osprey by tonight. It'll be flying first thing tomorrow morning." A man in the service uniform with numerous badges and the three-star insignia of on the shoulder of his coat stepped forward. "As for the rest of you officers, make sure that the men gather at main hangar for our meeting at exactly sixteen hundred hours. You know the consequence if even one soldier is late," he said in a threatening voice. "Dismissed." While the men saluted and marched off in different directions, the Lieutenant General turned and faced the shorter redhead. "What business do you have with me, young lady?" he asked.

"You're the Lieutenant General?" Kim asked, craning her neck to look up at the face of the tall man. Not only was he over six feet tall, the general who commanded the Go City Air Force Base was heavily built with broad shoulders and thick muscles that lined his body.

The man chuckled and saluted the redhead in greeting. "That would be me," he replied, clearly amused. "You must be the Kim Possible I've heard so much about." He stuck one massive hand out and firmly shook Kim's hand. "Now what is it that you wish to talk to me about?" He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the girl to answer.

"Well Lieutenant General," Kim started.

"'Sir' will be enough Miss Possible," the man interrupted. "My position is too long a word to say over and over again." He offered the girl a warm smile. "Now let's hear you say it," he ordered.

Kim cleared her throat. "Well sir, I was wondering if you were-" Her voice was suddenly drowned out by loud sirens. "Emergency?" Kim raised her voice over the noise.

The general shook his head. "No, we just have an aircraft coming in. It's going to park in this hangar," he explained, motioning for the teen hero to follow him further inside. "Come along Miss Possible. We could talk in peace in one of the offices deeper inside this hangar." He strode down the wide aisle with Kim having to jog to keep up with the big man. Reaching a metal door, the general pushed it open and ushered Kim into the medium-sized room that was large enough to fit a desk, chair and several file cases. "Now what was it again that you were going to ask?" The highly ranked officer sat on the edge of his desk as he gazed down at the renowned hero.

"Sir I am certain that the United States Air Force has an assortment of aircrafts," Kim began, not entirely sure how she was going to bring herself to ask if the Air Force had an F-16 fighter jet stolen from them. It was now that she got a better look of the intimidating man. Aside from his height and strong build, the general had wavy raven-black hair that was starting to turn gray in places, piercing steel-gray eyes and a strong jaw. From his appearance, he looked to be in his early to middle fifties.

The general nodded his head. "We wouldn't be known as the Air Force if we didn't have our planes," he pointed out, lightly smiling as the redhead blushed. "Yes, we do have several types of aircrafts. You name it! F-22's, F-35's, B-52's some helicopters and crafts built for Reconnaissance missions," he enumerated.

"You command all of these crafts?"

"Not just the crafts, but all the airmen and staff who are assigned to this base," the general clarified. "You haven't seen the whole base yet, but there are close to two thousand men who reside here and they're just part of the number of wings I command."

Kim gave the older man a confused look. "Wings?" She wasn't very familiar with the terms used in the Air Force or any other military unit.

"They're the basic organizational structure in the Air Force," the man replied. "A wing is composed of around four or more squadrons. Just to give you an idea, one wing can have a thousand or five times that amount of people." The raven-haired man seemed to be enjoying giving the teen hero a brief lesson about the Air Force. "Typically a man of my rank commands several wings, but I opted to take command of only the forces here in Go City."

"How long have you been in the Air Force, sir?" Kim asked, green eyes bright with interest.

The general smiled and made himself comfortable on his perch on the edge of the desk. "Oh I enlisted in the force when I was still a teenager. I got as far as a Senior Airman before I decided to take a leave to go to university." He absently brushed off some lint on the front of his coat. "My parents were proud that I was serving the country, but they wanted me to get a college degree before I go off and become an Air Force hero," he explained.

"Go University?"

"Yes," the man replied. "I'm assuming that you are also studying in my alma mater." He nodded his head in approval. "No need for it to be classified as an Ivy League school because it's as good as the likes of Stanford, Harvard and those other universities," the general boasted. "I have a degree in Business Administration, but I didn't get to use it since I was called back to serve in the Air Force," he shared with a rueful smile on his face. "I've been in the Force for around thirty years now and have no intention of retiring yet."

Kim nodded her head. "Did you fly any of these planes, sir?"

"I used to pilot the first few fighter jets back in my time and I do know how to fly a few of the more up-to-date ones at present, but now I leave the flying to the younger people," the general explained. "I do more paperwork and attend meetings instead of being up in the skies with the position I hold," he added with a hint of disdain in his voice.

"Do you fly F-16 Fighting Falcons?" the redhead finally asked, thinking that she should not be wasting time.

The general nodded his head. "I do, but I haven't been in one for a few years now. The last time I actually piloted a Falcon was for exhibition purposes and not for a mission." He looked quizzically at her. "Why the sudden interest in that particular fighter jet?"

Kim fished out her kimmunicator and showed the Lieutenant General a picture of the modified black F-16 jet flown by her protector. "F-16 jets and other military aircrafts are exclusively used by the Air Force, but this jet is obviously not used for military purposes," she explained. "I was wondering if you would happen to know if one of your F-16 jets has been stolen."

The general was silent as he leaned closer and took a better look at the black jet. "I'll be honest with you Miss Possible," the raven-haired man said, straightening from looking at the communications device. "This is the first time I've seen this particular F-16 fighter jet and the Air Force has never had any of their aircrafts stolen."

The teen hero frowned. "Are you sure sir? Not to be rude or anything, but it's hard to believe your claim when this modified F-16 Fighting Falcon is flying in the skies not under the banner of the Air Force," Kim reasoned out.

"I am certain," the general replied with firmness in his tone of voice. "None of our aircrafts have been stolen and we certainly don't have any of our F-16 jets missing." The general pushed away from the desk and looked at his wristwatch. "Do you have any other questions Miss Possible? If not I have other matters to attend to."

"Sir," Kim tried, but decided to keep quiet. She let out a sigh instead. "Never mind… Thanks for your time!" she told the general. She watched as the muscled soldier opened the door for her and ushered her out.

"Now, it's a long walk back to the gate," the man said, looking around and spotting one of his men. "Sergeant Kingston! Take one of the jeeps and give Miss Possible here a ride to the gate," he ordered. Turning to the redhead once more, the general said, "I apologize if I wasn't able to help you, but if you need help with other things you are welcome to come back and ask." He briskly saluted the girl, turned on his heel and marched back into his office.

The esteemed Lieutenant General of the Go City Air Force Base was just about to settle down behind his desk and make his daily reports when there was a knock on the door. "What is it?" he called without looking up from his documents.

"Sir you have another visitor," the officer said as he poked his head into the room.

The general frowned. "I only recall having one visitor fit into my schedule today," he said.

"Sir this visitor says he's a relative," the soldier explained.

"Alright. Show him in," the general ordered. He busied himself once more with his reports, barely noticing the door swing open then closed and the sounds of approaching footsteps.

"Hey… dad."

The Lieutenant General looked up as the familiar voice spurred his long unused store of memories. He blinked up at the adult man before him who had his wife's blue eyes and his own raven-black hair. "Hector?" he asked, getting to his feet and walking around his desk to stand face-to-face with his visitor.

The bespectacled and heavily muscled man ruefully smiled at his father. "It's been a long time dad," he told the goggling man.

The general shook his head and embraced his eldest son. "Ten years is a long time, son," he amended. "Are you and your brothers still playing hero in the city?" he asked. "I do wonder how you can manage wearing those brightly colored cat suits though."

The current leader of Team Go shook his head after pulling away from his father's embrace. "It's not a game, dad," he reminded his father. "You did agree with mom that we kids shouldn't be ashamed of our powers." He made himself comfortable in the only other chair in the office.

"I did say that, but I didn't expect the five of you to become superheroes saving the day here and there," the general retorted, moving back around his desk and seating himself in his chair. He eyed the orange uniform of his son. "Are you still working in that Mexican fast food chain?"

Hego puffed his chest out in pride. "I may have been a lowly cashier ten years back, but I'm the head honcho of the Go City branch now," he told his father while the shiny silver nameplate on the desk caught his eye. "Lieutenant General Logan Go?" Hego picked up the nameplate and looked at it carefully. "I thought you were Brigadier General, dad."

Logan Go shook his head and clasped his hands on top of his desk. "I was Brigadier General, but that was quite some time ago. People do get promoted in their jobs," he reminded his eldest son. "Now tell me what brings you here," he ordered.

"Dad don't you remember what next week is?" Hego asked.

"What?"

"You seriously don't remember?" The superhero asked.

The general scowled deeply at his son. "Stop dawdling and just say what's on your mind!" Logan ordered. If there was one thing he knew for sure, Hector or Hego as he now liked to be called couldn't have inherited his peculiar attitude from him. Logan Go had been known as a disciplined, highly systematic and courteous character. He just wasn't so sure if Hego had gotten his personality from his mother who never showed such a disposition.

Despite the scowl on his father's intimidating face, Hego could not help but smile. "Dad it's your 30th wedding anniversary next Thursday!" Hego announced, excitement in his voice. "We are planning to celebrate your anniversary back at our home."

"_We?_" Logan asked, a deep frown replacing the scowl on his face. "You are of course referring to the rest of your siblings right?"

Hego rubbed the back of his neck with one large hand. "Well, the boys from among your children. Sha-" the superhero paused and shook his head. "I mean Shego has still been avoiding us," he corrected himself, knowing that his younger sister did not want to be referred to by her real name. The only people who could actually get away with calling the green-skinned villainess by her real name are their father and mother.

"Ah so my only daughter is still adamant about continuing her life as an infamous criminal." Logan picked up a picture frame on his desk and gazed at it. "That mulishness and adventurous side of hers certainly came from somewhere," he mused, running the pad of his thumb over a complete family picture of them taken several years past.

"You mean from you, right?" Hego chortled.

The general harrumphed. "Perhaps not all from me though," Logan argued back. "Your mother also possessed quite a mulish streak when we were younger." He set the frame back on his desk and narrowed his steel gray eyes at his son. "Now back to this anniversary celebration nonsense,"

"Do you still feel that way until now, dad?" Hego interrupted, looking a bit disappointed.

"It's not that simple Hector," Logan told his son. "Celebrating would be a waste of time and I am a busy man being in the Air Force," he pointed out.

Hego let out a long sigh. "The only reason why this isn't simple is because you and mom refuse to make time for each other." The leader of Team Go pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I don't understand how two people who practically adored each other could drift away just like that!"

"Work does that, Hector," Logan put in seriously. "You have to understand. Your mother and I loved each other, but there were things that got in the way."

"You mean work," Hego answered.

The general shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against his chair. "It was inevitable that our jobs would take a toll on our relationship as husband and wife," he admitted. "With me in the Air Force and your mother the Chief Executive Officer of a multinational company that specializes in the development of world-class security systems, we pretty much saw it coming."

"But it could have been otherwise!" Hego argued. "The both of you certainly have enough power and time to visit each other."

"Hector," Logan said in a warning voice. "Must I remind you that I am bound to my duty as a soldier? I may be in the Air Force and have access to planes, but I can't just leave my post to go visit your mother in London."

"Come on dad," Hego pressed on. "Give this a chance. The twins and Mego have already talked mom into coming back home for your anniversary." The eldest son of the Go family knew that what he said was a partly true lie. Mego and the twins were indeed talking to their mother to agreeing to coming back home, but she had not agreed yet.

Logan raised a questioning eyebrow at his son. "Leila agreed?" He was certainly incredulous with the outcome. "This seems rather suspicious," the general declared. He and his wife were not divorced, but they were separated.

"It's not a joke, dad!" Hego hurriedly assured his stern-looking father. "Please?"

The general muttered something under his breath as he straightened the documents on his desk. "Alright Hector," he finally agreed. "I'll attend this so-called celebration."

"That's great! We'll be holding it at-"

"_But!_" Logan interrupted with a raised hand. "I'll only go if you get my daughter to attend."

"B-but!" Hego stuttered, his mind running with unwanted thoughts. This was indeed going to be a problem for him and the rest of his brothers. Shego had left the team because she couldn't stand the company of her overbearing brothers.

Logan Go shook his head. "Celebrations should be done with the whole family present right? If you want me to be there then make sure your sister is there as well." The general took pen in hand and began to jot down notes on a report. "Now if there's nothing else you need to talk to me about, I have a lot of important work to do and finish." He waved absently at his office door.

Hego nodded his head and got to his feet. "Thanks for seeing me, dad," the superhero bowed his head to the older man. "I'll see what I can do to get Sha-" Hego paused. "I'll see what I can do with Shego," he corrected himself. "By the way dad, I thought I saw Kim Possible exiting the base when I arrived."

"She was here earlier," Logan replied.

"What for?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Wanted to get some information, but didn't get anything useful from me," Logan replied. "By the way, how is your sister? I do miss that daughter of mine."

"Unusually, she hasn't been causing any trouble and seems to be keeping a low profile," Hego reported. "You did hear about how she had saved the world along with Drakken, her former employer, Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible?"

"Ah yes, the attempted alien take-over," Logan Go said. "We lost quite a number of fighter jets and bombers to those four-legged insect-like machines they set loose." The general shook his head and smoothed the stubble on his chin. "I was quite surprised when my men told me that my daughter was on the news being awarded for her endeavor," he admitted. "I had a gut feeling though that she wouldn't last doing the hero business again."

Hego sighed. "You never really minded that Shego was leading the life of a criminal," he complained.

"As long as she's happy and as long as she doesn't take any lives in the course of her career, then I have nothing against it," Logan replied. "How's the jet?"

"You mean the Go Jet?"

"Is that what you call it? Can't you be more original Hector?" The general muttered. "Yes, I meant the jet I gave to all of you to help in your superhero activities."

"Oh we still use it… once in a while," Hego replied, a sheepish smile on his face. "Most of the time, we tend to use other methods of travel to complete our missions." The bespectacled man stretched his arms. "You have to remember that it was only Shego who was interested in learning how to fly jets." The superhero glanced at his watch and made for the door. "I'll go ahead dad. It's almost time for my shift," he explained as he opened the door. "I'll give you a call sometime next week to give you the rest of the details for your 30th wedding anniversary celebration." He waved one last time to his father before walking out into the hangar and shutting the door behind him.

"Wedding anniversary…" Logan Go murmured. "I do hope Hector and his brothers are able to find and convince my 'little panther' to come." He looked out of the only window in his office and watched as a squadron of men and women continued their drills on the base's grounds. "I doubt that they'll have an easy time especially since I gave her an F-16 Fighting Falcon for her 21st birthday." He knew somehow that Kim Possible's purpose for visiting and her subtle hints of an F-16 fighter jet had something to do with his daughter. What the teen hero didn't know was that he and his daughter had made a deal years and years ago that the fighter jet he had gifted the green-hued villainess would be kept a secret between them. People would wonder how a Brigadier General from that time had collected enough funds or had enough power and influence to give such an aircraft worth more than 10 million dollars to his daughter.

* * *

"Another dead end," Kim let out, clearly disappointed with the result of today's efforts. "I really thought this time, I'd be able to get the right information and get to the bottom of this mysterious protector of mine." After Kim had been dropped off at the gate of the base, the teen hero had commuted back to Go University to attend her last class for the day. Her car wouldn't be available for a few days since her brothers were once again modifying her car.

"So you practically still don't know who this biker woman is?" Tai asked from her seat on the football field. Their last class for the day was physical education and their professor had decided that they should spend the day outside to play football. Despite being exempted from participating in the class due to being a member of the football varsity team, Tai opted to join her fellow classmates for a game of football.

Kim sighed with a nod of her head. "It's as if she really wants to keep her identity a secret from me and everyone else!" The teen hero did her routine stretches prior to engaging herself to any physical and strenuous activity. "I don't know what the big deal about it is, but I just find it really strange."

The football rookie shrugged and got up to her feet. "I'm not so sure myself, but there should be a reason behind your protector's motives," she replied, lightly jogging in place. "I did think though that asking the Air Force if they had a missing F-16 jet was a brilliant idea. The Air Force wouldn't just give away a fighter jet to just anyone and it's rare for the military to have any of their weapons stolen." She and Kim walked onto the field and joined one team of students.

"Quite a conundrum, huh?" Kim gave her friend a goofy grin.

Tai chuckled and returned the grin. "You're getting too fond of that Professor Chandler of yours," she teased. Like most students, she had heard that there was a professor who was part of the European History department and had a way with words, which often puzzled his students. "Does he always talk using such complicated and mind-boggling words?" she asked as she and Kim took to the center of the field for the opening kick-off.

Kim nodded, kicking the ball to Tai's feet as the referee blew his whistle. "It's one of the few things that make him really fun and interesting!" She ran towards the goal and watched as the experienced football player dribbled the ball across the field. Kim had some skill when it came to playing football, but she wasn't as good as the amber-eyed girl who weaved through defenders and evaded attacks. "I'm open!" she shouted from the right side of the penalty area.

"It's yours then!" Tai kicked the ball to Kim's feet and headed deeper into the penalty area with two defenders following her closely.

Kim smiled and sprinted forward, kicking the ball up as she jumped over an opponent who did a sliding tackle at her. Dodging two more players, she saw what she wanted. The two defenders closely marking Tai had lost their focus due to her approach. She caught the slight jerk of Tai's head and lobbed the ball with deadly accuracy. With the two defenders still distracted, Tai leaped into the air and butted the ball into the goal with the side of her head.

"Too fast!" the goalkeeper groaned as he slapped his forehead with his gloved hand.

Tai grinned at the boy. "There's going to be a lot more of that so you better get ready!" She trotted off back up the field and exchanged high fives with Kim and a bunch of their other teammates. "Nice assist," she told the redhead.

"Thanks!" Kim replied, flipping her hair back. "I learned how to play football when I filled in as coach for my brothers' team."

"Well, let's hope that skill of yours will help us get that ball back and score a few more goals!" Tai whooped as she rushed forward to meet their opponents. They played for the rest of the hour, Tai and Kim's team winning the match three goals to one. "Great game Kim! I've worked up a sweat!" The football player leaned down and braced her hands against her slightly bent knees. "This was a pretty good warm-up for my real training, which is about to start in about half an hour!"

Kim smiled as she tied her sweat-dampened hair into a loose ponytail. "I'll go ahead then. I have to do a few errands before I head back to my apartment." She bent down and picked up her backpack. "I'll see you next Monday then?"

"Yup! I'll see you then!" Tai waved once to the teen hero before jogging off towards the locker rooms.

As Kim jogged off in the other direction, her kimmunicator began to beep. "Hey Wade," she greeted without slowing down. "What's up?"

"_I wanted to ask how your talk with the Lieutenant General of the Go City Air Force Base went,"_ the genius said, already seeing the answer to his question on Kim's face. _"It didn't work again huh?"_ Wade sighed. _"Sorry Kim. It looks like everything that you ask me to do ends up in failure."_

"Don't let it bother you." Kim shook her head at the boy. "Maybe I'm just not meant to find out who this woman is and I do have another idea, but it's a slim chance that we'll get anything useful again."

"_Anything is worth a try right? What do you want me to do?"_

"If this woman is really protecting me then it means someone hired her," Kim theorized, her legs finally taking her outside of the campus. "The only people I know of who would hire someone to ensure that I live would be my parents and Global Justice."

Wade nodded his head. _"That's quite a likely possibility Kim,"_ he agreed. _"Your parents would be the first people to worry about your safety so it's probable that they did hire someone to protect you specifically from Balken Steel." _He scratched his cheek and went back to typing away at his keyboard. _"As for Global Justice, you're an invaluable and potential asset to their organization if they do get you to give up on your freelance job and join them. I've heard Director Betty express interest in recruiting you several times already."_

"I've heard as much too," Kim replied, remembering those many times Director Betty had subtly hinted that Kim would become an world-class crime fighter under the banner of Global Justice. "Anyway Wade, I'd like for you to focus on my parents."

"_Your parents?"_

"Not unless you want to hack into Global Justice's archives and take on the director herself," Kim told the boy.

"_Point taken,"_ Wade replied with a shiver. _"Can I ask why you suggest I ask your parents first?"_

"It will probably be easier to get the information out of them particularly my dad," Kim replied as she crossed an intersection. "Dad can't keep secrets and you just have to ask him subtle questions about the matter and I'm sure he'll take the bait."

The dark-skinned boy grinned. _"I'll see what I can do then Kim. In the meantime, I'll check on Jim and Tim's progress on modifying your car." _With that, he hung up.

The auburn-haired college freshman pocketed the kimmunicator and continued with her trip to a nearby grocery store. She was in need of hygiene related products particularly toilet paper, toothpaste, hair and skin products, and her basic breakfast staple of cereal and milk. As Kim walked into the small grocery store and grabbed a shopping basket, her kimmunicator began to beep once more. "Yes?"

"_Kim!"_ a girl's voice greeted her.

"Monique? How are you?" Kim asked as she grabbed an assortment of things off the shelves.

"_Doing fine girl!" _Monique replied. _"I have been busy and all being in a Fashion Institute," _she added with a smile. _"I got to hand it to you though, this university business sure does wear a girl like me out!"_

Kim laughed at her best friend. "Monique! We're just about to end the semester and you're already worn out?" she asked. "I thought the whole fashion thing was well… your thing."

"_Oh Kim! I do love everything to do with fashion, but studying it in a renowned university is another matter! It's fun, but also quite tiring. Where are you anyway girlfriend?"_

"Grocery shopping," Kim replied as she walked down one aisle and grabbed a box of her favorite cereal. "Just got out from class and visited Go City Air Force Base before that," she told her friend.

"_An Air Force Base?"_ Monique gave her a weird look from the screen of her kimmunicator. _"What business do you have in a place like that girl?"_

"Long story Mo," Kim murmured. "I'll tell you about it when I get back to my apartment. Sound okay?"

"_I'll be waiting for your call then! Talk to you later Kim!"_ Monique bade her goodbye and hung up.

"It's been a while since I last talked to her," Kim said to herself as she checked the items in her basket. The day after Kim was attacked by Balken Steel, Monique was supposed to drop by and visit Kim at Go City. Her trip was of course cancelled since Kim was in the hospital recovering from the attack. "Looks like I have just about everything," she announced, heading towards the checkout line. She paid 

for her purchases and gave her thanks to the cashier before heading out of the grocery store with a bag of her purchased items in one hand.

She was taking a shortcut through an unpopulated part of the neighborhood when her kimmunicator began to beep again. "What's the sitch?" she greeted as Wade's image blinked onto the screen.

"_Good news,"_ Wade replied with a smile.

"You found out already?" Kim asked excitedly.

"_Not from your parents or from Director Betty though,"_ Wade told the redhead. _"Remember I told you I was going to check on Jim and Tim's progress on modifying your car? Well, it turns out they overheard some things talked about by Director Betty and your parents on the night you were sent to Finland to deal with Professor Dementor and Killigan."_

Kim nodded her head as she absently strolled past an abandoned apartment building. "Oh yeah, I remember that they were all talking to each other inside the kitchen while you and I were in the living room," Kim said. "How did the twins eavesdrop on their conversation? They were already upstairs in their room when you and Director Betty arrived."

"_Low-cost surveillance cameras they invented themselves,_" Wade replied with a smile. _"Anyway they said that your dad had asked Director Betty to find you a bodyguard of some sort when you were still in the hospital recovering," _Wade continued. _"Apparently, Doctor Possible wasn't sure if the director had complied with his request until that night you were sent to Finland. The last bit of information they heard was that the biker woman Director Betty had hired to protect you was very expensive and happens to be a skilled fighter and a mercenary." _

"Mercenary?" Kim asked, stopping in her tracks. "This is starting to ring a bell, Wade," the redhead admitted as a gust of wind blew past her body. "Did you get anything else about the terms agreed upon by Director Betty and this mercenary?"

Wade shook his head. _"Didn't get any specifics, but I heard from Will Du that there's an estimated five million dollars set aside for an unknown account. It's quite possible that it's the amount to be paid to your protector for successfully guarding you."_

"Will Du gave you that information?" Kim asked with suspicion. "Since when did Will Du give away such confidential information so easily?"

Wade laughed. _"I didn't even ask actually,"_ he admitted. _"Will just happened to be expressing his concern about the concealment of that particular transaction."_

"I don't know… I feel like I know this person, but I'm not at all sure." Kim let out a long sigh and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind an ear. "At least now I know that we're getting closer to solving who my protector is. I'll call you later then Wade."

"_Later then Kim!"_

As Kim shut off her kimmunicator, another strong gust of wind blew against her, making her lose her balance. Regaining her footing, her eyes caught sight of a large shadow on the pavement before her. The sun was indeed behind her, but there was no way such a bulky shadow could be hers. As Kim whirled around to face the unknown stranger, a large hand made out of steel clamped around her throat, tightening enough to prevent her from screaming. Jade-green eyes widened in fear as she stared into those familiar gray orbs that have haunted her for the past few months.

"Hello again Kim Possible," masses of unruly black hair moved with the wind. "I see that a few months of quiet have made you complacent." There was a glimmer of cheer in the man's eyes, the high collar of his trench coat hiding what could have been a smile on his face. "I would have thought that Global Justice would give you bodyguards assigned to 24-hour shifts of guarding you." A series of metallic clicks filled the air as a steam hissed out of his transformed arms. "No matter," Balken Steel said, shaking his head. "What truly matters is that I have you in my grasp and I am a step closer to attaining my goal."

"Let go of me!" Kim hissed out breathlessly as she unsuccessfully tried to pry off the metal fingers clamped around her throat.

The cyborg shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Kim Possible," Balken Steel said with mock remorse. "I want my revenge on the government and the only to do that and get world domination is to do away with you!" He smiled sadistically at the teen hero, raising his unused hand and balled it into a fist.

Kim didn't even see what happened, but she certainly felt it as an immense pain in the form of a steel fist made contact with her gut and knocked her unconscious. _Please…_ she thought as the darkness overtook her. _Help me…_ Her body fell limply to the ground, unaware that the cyborg had picked her up and set off towards the abandoned apartment building she had walked by a few moments ago.

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

_**Thankfully, I was able to make up for lost "study time" after sacrificing it to make the last chapter I uploaded. In actuality, I had a very difficult test to study for the day after I uploaded the last chapter, but it turned out well. The test was difficult, but I believe I studied enough for it (three hours to be exact) to pass. I often wonder how a Business Administration student ended up taking a required course on information systems and programming. I am completely illiterate when it comes to using such software like visual basic and C+! The only reason I get along with my fellow Business Administration students is that our dean and the chairman of our department wishes to make us more marketable by making us "computer savvy." Please! If I intended to learn how to program information systems, I would have applied for a computer science or information technology related course! It's rather deceptive of my university to name this course as "Business Administration" when it should probably be now named as "Business Administration with specialization in Information Systems and Programming."**_

_**Anyway, enough with the complaining. I'm already starting work with the next chapter and hopefully I'll have it up in about half a day. As promised, the next chapter will reveal Shego as the mysterious hired protector of Kim. Regarding the minor introduction of Shego's parents, I had long planned that Shego's father would be involved in the Air Force since Shego's apparently adept with flying fighter jets. She must have learned how to fly jets from someone right? hahaha! As for the real names of Shego and the rest of her brothers, they'll pop out sooner or later as the story goes on. **_

_**Next Chapter: Revelation **_


	7. Revelation

_Chapter 7: "Revelation"_

"Something is definitely wrong," Wade reported to the one-eyed director of Global Justice. "I've been relentlessly calling Kim for the past hour and she hasn't even answered any one of those calls!" After trying to call the redhead several times, Wade decided that the situation was becoming too worrisome and contacted Director Betty.

"Are you sure that you're not jumping to conclusions?" the director asked, clearly doubtful with the situation facing her. "Perhaps Kim put her kimmunicator on silent or she may be doing another errand," she hypothesized.

Wade shook his head. "It could be that way, but there's one thing that proves otherwise!"

"What would that be?" The director was still uninterested and was more interested in finishing going over her reports and passing them on to the important people involved in her organization.

"I can't locate her on the GPS!" Wade let out impatiently. "Her kimmunicator acts like a GPS tracking device and that's how I'm able to keep an eye on her!"

"She may have just dropped it," Betty told the boy, a ball of worry forming in her chest.

"If she dropped it, the white dot on my map would still be there!" Wade retorted. "I've completely lost track of her! Something's wrong here director and you better do something fast!"

"Alright," Director Betty agreed. "I'm sending a contingent of my agents out to locate Kim. In the meantime, would you happen to know where she was last seen?" She pressed a button on her desk and grabbed a nearby microphone. "Attention! Vanguards 1 and 2 prepare for a search and rescue mission immediately!" she spoke into the microphone. To Wade, she asked, "Well? Did you manage to pinpoint where Kim was last seen?"

"The GPS last tracked her to a rundown block close to the grocery store she just went to," Wade replied, furiously typing on his keyboard. "That's it that I can get for now, but I can't assure you that Kim would still be there. She may have been taken to another place."

Director Betty chewed on her thumbnail. "I'll do what I can and I have to contact someone first while I send vanguards 1 and 2 to that area," she told the boy. "Not a word first to Kim's family or to anyone else. If the media get a hold of this, who knows what kind of an uproar this would result to and the perpetrator of this abduction might inflict harm to Kim."

* * *

In a well-lit garage, a familiar raven-haired woman whistled a tune while she sorted through a large metal box filled with tools and other equipment. The villainess bike needed a tune-up after all the riding on it. Shego was kneeling on the ground beside her bike as she looked over the machine and did some fine-tuning and minor repairs. She was changing the oil when her communication device rang. Muttering curses under her breath, the villainess grabbed a towel and wiped her grimy hands before picking up the device. "What now?" she scowled as Director Betty's face appeared on screen.

"_Do you go around in your own home dressed like that?"_

Shego continued to scowl at the woman. "I'm tuning up my bike okay?" she said sarcastically. It was indeed a bit strange for a person to be walking around in her own home in a half-discarded racing suit and a sports bra on. "Now why the hell are you calling me? I'm done doing my job today!"

"_You aren't done yet,"_ Betty told the villainess. _"We've lost track of Kim," _she gave the hired protector the news. _"I need you to get ready to head out and look for her. If my hunch is correct, she's probably been abducted by Balken Steel."_

Shego swore, pulling up the top part of her racing suit and slipping her arms through the sleeves. "She was okay when I left her a while ago!" she muttered, quickly zipping up the suit and grabbing both her jacket and utility belt. After tying her hair back into a ponytail and donning her leather jacket, Shego began to check the rest of the equipment she would use for this particular mission. Her charge had been unknowing that Shego was following her on her bike earlier. She decided that Kim would be alright on her own after seeing the redhead enter the grocery store and headed back to her own apartment to give her bike a long delayed tune-up.

"_Never mind that!"_ the director said tersely. _"Head to Brand Street as soon as you're ready and make sure you're well prepared for an encounter with the cyborg!"_

Shego grabbed her gloves and her automatic Beretta gun from nearby metal shelf. "I'm always ready," she told the one-eyed woman. "I've been waiting to meet this Balken Steel for quite some time now." She could not help but smile as she slipped on her power-dampening gloves and put on her sports shades.

"_Be careful of what you wish for, Shego,"_ the director warned as the villainess mounted her bike and ignited the engines. _"You've never met this man before and I should remind you that you should practice extreme caution while you're around him. He almost killed Ron Stoppable despite his Mystical Monkey Powers."_

"I don't need your concern, one-eye!" Shego told the director hotly before turning off the device and pressing a button to make the garage doors slide open. She twisted the gas bar hard, her bike lunging forward in a squeal of tires. _Why must you always get into trouble princess? _Shego thought as she sped down the road. _I take my eyes off you for just an hour and you get yourself kidnapped by this cyborg freak! _Shego's lips were tight behind the collar of her jacket as she weaved through rush hour traffic in the city's streets. It took her a little more than ten minutes to get to Brand street, the place where Kimmie had been seen last. Pulling up by the sidewalk, the disguised villainess turned protector cut off the engines and kicked down the kickstand.

"One-eye's agents were here recently," she murmured, recognizing the familiar search pattern done by Global Justice agents who had been frequently sent to track her down after committing a crime. Shego crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her surroundings. "Those hulking men of hers do nothing but create a ruckus and have no skill when it comes to tracking down missing persons." Running her fingers through her raven-black hair, she tipped down her shades and eyed down the length of the sidewalk.

The street was deserted save for a couple of stray cats prowling in a nearby dark alleyway. A cold wind chilled Shego's body as she looked for any trace of her redheaded charge. She had to work with the information she had gotten from both the director and Kim's nerdlinger friend. If she remembered correctly, Kim had just gone grocery shopping. If Kimmie had indeed been kidnapped by the cyborg, there should have been signs of a struggle. Kimmie would have never allowed just anyone to carry her off somewhere.

"There has to be something around here that will give me a clue!" Shego said to no one in particular as she continued to scour the street for clues. She was walking closer to a rundown apartment when her eyes caught sight of a brightly colored bottle strewn close to the mouth of a narrow alleyway. "There!" The villainess stalked over to the out-of-place object and squatted down to get a closer look. Picking the pink-colored bottle up and rotating it, Shego realized that it was a bottle of shampoo. "Kimmie's?" Shego wondered aloud, flicking the cover of the bottle open and pulling down her collar to uncover her nose. Sniffing the liquid, Shego's nostrils were filled with the light wafting scent of strawberries. Her mind was suddenly spurred to remember a particular memory back when she and the redhead were trapped in a cave during a snowstorm. Shego had smelled the same scent on Kim's hair while she was asleep in her embrace as the storm raged outside of the cave. "This is definitely hers," Shego concluded, getting to her feet. "But where could she be? Could she still be around this area?"

A glint of silver from a third storey window caught Shego's sharp eyes. Was it just the sunlight's reflection on the glass? Another glint of silver flashed. This time, Shego focused her attention at the window and could see a dark silhouette moving back and forth in the room. "So that's where you are hiding." Shego fixed the fit of her gloves on her hands and checked if her Beretta gun was loaded. _Hang on princess. I'll get you out of there in no time._

* * *

Kim awoke to the sounds of heavy feet pacing on the floor and the noisy clinking of metal chains. There was a dull ache in her stomach as she craned her neck up to follow the dark figure walking around the room. As her mind started to clear, the redhead realized that her hands were bound behind her by a chain wrapped around one of the few thick columns in the sparse and dusty room. Kim pulled against the chains, but could not get herself free.

"I see you're awake already," Balken Steel said, stopping his pacing and walking towards the restrained teen hero. "Forgive me for knocking you out so disgracefully, but it was the quickest way to keep you from making a fuss." The apology was not an apology at all with the way he gazed at Kim in a mocking way.

"Has your way of thinking become so warped because of your desire for revenge?" Kim demanded. "I can understand your feelings of depression from losing a daughter, but you've driven yourself mad trying to achieve the impossible of bringing a dead person back to life!"

"Mad?" Balken chuckled. "I was never mad, Kim Possible," he told the girl, gray eyes hard. "Angry perhaps at how I was treated and how my daughter's life was thrown away, but not mad," he continued. The cyborg shook his head and looked soberly at the redhead. "No one can understand the pain I've gone through and you most certainly are one of those people who can only claim they empathize with me."

"Why are you doing this?" Kim asked, hoping to buy herself some time. She could only hope that Wade and Global Justice had already noticed that she was missing and were already searching for her. "You were a renowned and respected scientist! Why must you put yourself down to this level?"

Balken Steel took in a deep breath and let it out in a simultaneous hiss of his own breath and steam that escaped his mechanized limbs. "I once had principles," he said softly, clenching and unclenching his metal fists. "I was at the forefront of combining the fields of cybernetics and medicine together and had mounds of funds and personnel to support my cause." The cyborg's eyes softened as he reminisced. "I had a beautiful wife who adored me and I had a daughter who looked up to me as a role model in her life."

"Then why have you done this to yourself?" Kim demanded, eying the robotic parts of the former scientist. "You just said so yourself that your life was going well."

"It would have _stayed _that way if the government and MCO had not meddled in my work to save my daughter!" Balken Steel disputed.

Kim continued to fiddle around with the chains wrapped around her wrists and forearms. "MCO?" she asked. It was the first time she had heard of such an acronym. She could only assume that the "O" stood for organization.

"Medicinal Cybernetics Organization," Balken answered patiently. "Of all the people who caused my demise, I would have expected the organization I worked for to understand my actions," he said angrily. "Many of those who worked alongside with me in the organization were fathers and mothers," Balken started, starting to pace once more in front of the restrained redhead. "If their own children had been in the same situation as my own daughter, they would have done everything in their power to save their child's life!"

"Do you honestly think that it's normal human nature for people to embezzle 100 million dollars from the government and the organization?" Kim challenged, her jade-green eyes narrowing at the tall cyborg.

The cyborg raised a fist at the redhead and made a motion to punch her. "Watch your tone Miss Possible," he cyborg scolded, using his false and mocking cheery voice once more. "I may have been a very patient man once, but the years of waiting have worn that patience thin." He relaxed his mechanical arm and unclenched his fist. "I'd like to believe that people would be driven to do that if they were given such illogical and irrational reasons for not aiding you in your quest to save your daughter."

"You couldn't accept the fact that your daughter was pronounced brain-dead and that there was no known and working method to save her?" Kim countered, realizing that the once principled scientist was now an irrational and vengeful criminal. "You were bordering the impossible! How could anyone bring a dead person back to life?"

The cyborg shook his head and slid his hand into one of the large pockets of his trench coat. "With cybernetics, nothing is impossible," he quoted, bringing out a handheld computer. "Silver Lifeblood would have been the answer, no… the cure that would have brought my daughter back to life!" A holographic image of the microscopic technology appeared in the air.

"I don't care if it would have saved your daughter's life! You still embezzled the funds of the government and the organization to achieve your selfish goals!" Kim said furiously. "How could you have been so selfish? You weren't even so sure if your invention would have worked!"

Balken Steel glared hard at the teen hero, eyes like gray ice. "It would have worked," he insisted. "I spent enough time and money to make sure of that," he explained, clasping his hands behind his back. "As for the embezzled funds, which you are so adamantly against, I was planning to pay it all back once my daughter was alright."

Kim blinked up in confusion at the cyborg. "What?"

The cyborg shook his head ruefully. "I told you," he said in a patronizing way. "I was a man of principle despite committing a crime such as the embezzlement of funds. I wasn't so selfish, ungrateful and stupid enough to not repay both the government and MCO."

"Why didn't you just ask them for the funds?" Kim asked, feeling the muscles in her arms burn with all the effort she exerted to get the chains off. "If you reasoned out with them, they would have at least approved your request," she pointed out.

"It wasn't that simple Miss Possible," Balken replied. "Asking for 100 million dollars to create a then sketchy prototype just to save a brain dead child wouldn't have been approved. Believe me I know how they are when it comes to approving projects," he told the redhead. "So I stole the money and did what I could to create Silver Lifeblood that is until my own coworkers tattled and had me arrested. MCO confiscated my invention, told my wife that I had gone mad and suggested that they turn off the life support system of my daughter." He turned his back on Kim and looked out of the window, eying the darkening skies.

"But still!" Kim argued. "You _stole _the money!"

"They would have gotten the money back ten times the original amount if they had listened to me!" Balken Steel shouted angrily, steam hissing out of his arms and neck. "I was willing to pay them back for the money I had used to invent the Silver Lifeblood, but they immediately slapped the crime against me and didn't bother to give me due process."

Kim shook her head still doubting the story she was being told. "How could you have paid back 100 million dollars and even claim that the government and MCO would have received ten times the original amount?" It was rather baffling to her in all honesty.

"Silver Lifeblood _works_ Miss Possible," Balken told the girl. "My invention is a miracle in itself. If I had used it on my daughter and saved her, I would have given the Silver Lifeblood to the organization for them to patent and sell in the market. I would have been far richer than the likes of Bill Gates and other billionaires if I patented the invention and sold it myself," he explained with a deep chuckle. "But no, I was principled and so idealistic to think that the organization and the government would listen to reason."

"That can't be true…" Kim said reluctantly. All of this was starting to sound so real. How could the government and the organization turn their back on this once brilliant scientist who wished to improve society's quality of life through his research?

"Believe it," Balken told her in a hard voice. "It was a punch to the gut when they didn't listen to my reasons and the offer of giving them ownership of my invention. It was all the more humiliating on my part when they told my wife I had gone mad," he enumerated, shaking his head. "My wife… she refused to continue her relationship with me and distanced herself." The cyborg drew himself up and took in a long breath. "I would have stayed in prison and served punishment if those were the only things they did to me."

"There was more?" Kim asked, shocked at how Balken Steel's story was turning out. "So you didn't break out of prison to become a cyborg criminal and achieve world domination because of what you just told me?" Kim was now even more bewildered about the character of Balken Steel. She had thought that he had been driven mad because of the so-called unfair treatment he received, but there was an underlying reason to why he decided to go down the path of evil.

"I'm not as shallow as you think I am," Balken told her, sounding amused. "What drives me to enact my vengeance in this way is the fact that the organization I had served has unearthed my confiscated invention and is planning to sell it in the market under their name! It's a backhanded blow, Miss Possible," he explained. "To think that the very invention they confiscated and refused to inject in my daughter is now advocated as a miracle of life!" He began to laugh, covering his mouth with his metal hand. "Ironic!" he breathed out in between laughs. "It's just so ironic! They choose to do away with the life of one young girl not just to save millions of other people, but to also become wealthy bastards!"

Kim could only stare as the man laughed hysterically before her. A sense of cold fear flowed through her veins as she realized that the man before her was seriously hell-bent on getting his revenge on those people who had denied him of saving the daughter he had loved so dearly. She knew now that he would stop at nothing to get his revenge and she also knew that she was in his way of attaining that goal.

Balken Steel's laughter died down. "You would probably agree with me that I feel eternally cheated by what MCO and the government has done to me," he told her, stretching out his right arm as a series of metallic clicks and steam filled the air. "My reasons for enacting my vengeance are sound and just." His arm was now transformed into the familiar gun-cannon extension.

"There's still time!" Kim reasoned with the man, struggling against her restraints. "I could help you! I know people who would be able to settle this matter and give you retribution for what happened in your past!"

The cyborg shook his head as he willed his gun-cannon arm extension to rotate and load it with ammo. "The only retribution that is available for me is to destroy the organization's name! Once I've completed assembling my Silver Lifeblood central control system, I will remotely reprogram my invention to do the opposite!" Balken Steel stepped forward menacingly, pointing the gun-cannon at Kim. "MCO and the government's names will be tarnished forever when the millions of people who have received the Silver Lifeblood as treatment will experience a slow and painful death from within their bodies!"

"You're insane!" Kim stammered, fearing for her life and the lives of those people. "You won't get away with this!" Kim pulled hard against the chains, feeling the column behind her creak from the pressure she exerted.

"_Au contraire," _Balken replied, his eyes not exhibiting any emotion at all. "I will be able to get away with this if I do away with the only thing that stands in my way of taking vengeance." The cyborg took one more step towards the teen hero and raised his gun-cannon at her. "I'm sure that you'd be very persistent in stopping me from doing implementing my plans," he told her, pointing the gun at 

Kim's head as the girl pushed herself against the column. "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." He narrowed his gray eyes and stiffened his outstretched gun-arm.

Kim shut her eyes tightly, turned her head away and bit back a cry as she waited for the blast that would end her life. Instead of the loud blast of the gun-cannon, Kim only heard the audible click of a gun being cocked.

"I see that I was wrong about claiming that Global Justice was stupid to not assign you a bodyguard," Balken Steel scornfully said.

Confused, the redhead cracked her eyes open and goggled at the sight before her. Balken Steel was still standing before her and aiming his gun-cannon at her with the added exception of a Beretta gun resting against the side of the cyborg's forehead. Jade-green eyes travelled across the length of the outstretched arm holding the gun, familiarity filling her mind as her eyes recognized the black material of a form fitting race suit. A surge of hope flowed through the fear-frozen veins of Kim as her eyes finally rested on the face covered by sports shades and the high collar of the leather jacket worn by her protector. "It's you!" she cried out.

Balken eyed the unknown woman with the corners of his eyes, not daring to move. "Do you honestly believe that you can stop me by using that gun?" He chuckled then suddenly re-aimed his gun-cannon at the biker.

"No!" Kim screamed, flinching as the biker jumped out of the way and unleashed a round of bullets into Balken's chest. She watched as the cyborg stumbled back from the force of the bullets embedding themselves into his body and cringed as her protector moved forward lighting fast and rammed a foot into the deranged man's chest, sending him crashing into rotting table and couch at the side of the room. "I can't get them off!" she told her protector who strode towards her. She continued to pull against the chains that were tied around her wrists and forearms as she worriedly and frequently glanced over to where the cyborg crashed.

The biker got down to her knees and eyed the chains that held Kim down. Grabbing the reinforced chain in one gloved hand, she yanked it straight out and with the other hand slashed through it very much like a hot knife cutting through butter. Without wasting any time, the biker grabbed Kim's hands and pulled her up to her feet just as the side of the room exploded in a spray of wood and dust.

"You are starting to irk me," Balken Steel spat venomously as he dusted off the front of his coat. "I despise people who interrupt me." He glared at the two women before him and stretched the kinks out of his neck. "You want to fight? Then I'll give you a fight!" he rushed forward, transforming his gun-cannon arm into the familiar double bladed extension.

The biker pushed her redheaded charge out of the way and stood her ground. She flipped back as the razor sharp blades sliced through the space she had just vacated. Landing deftly on the soles of her booted feet, the protector lunged forward with her fingers outstretched in a claw-like arrangement. She viciously slashed at the cyborg who easily deflected her attack with his other metal-encased arm. Pulling away immediately, the biker then grabbed hold of the front of Balken's coat and strong-armed him to the ground.

Kim stood from a safe distance as her protector leaped onto Balken's supine form and proceeded to deliver a flurry of punches at his face. The redhead visibly flinched as each punch landed with a distinctive crunch. The beating continued for a minute more with one last devastating punch that connected solidly with the unmoving Balken Steel's face. "Is he… dead?" she asked, taking a tentative step forward while the biker eased herself off the cyborg and made her way back to Kim. "Are you hurt?" Kim worriedly looked the biker over from top to toe.

The disguised protector shook her head and motioned for Kim to walk to the exit.

"Watch out!" Kim cried out as she was suddenly knocked back into a wall while her protector was caught in the surprise attack of the cyborg.

"Thought you could kill me just like that?" Balken asked the biker woman he held up in the air with one large metal hand. It had been terribly easy for him to grab hold of the biker's face one handed and to lift her up into the air. His face was a mangled mass of flesh, but already he could feel the metal beneath his skin shifting and mending itself back together. He ignored his opponent's scrabbling at his arm and began to squeeze the biker's head with his metal fingers. "I could easily break your skull you know," he told the struggling woman, whose sports shades crumbled into pieces to the ground. "But that wouldn't be really fun!" The cyborg rammed his knee up into the biker's gut and slammed her face first into the column. Yanking out her half-embedded body from the column, Balken this time threw the woman over his shoulder and into the pile of broken and rotting furniture in one corner of the room. "Had enough?" Balken called as he walked through the dissipating cloud of dust and debris. "Too bad," he answered for the silent woman, a crazed glint in his gray eyes as he grabbed hold of the biker's leg that was peeking out of the debris.

"No stop it!" Kim shouted. She ran forward and attempted to tackle the cyborg from behind, but was knocked away by a stationary clothesline.

"Be patient, Miss Possible," Balken told the teen hero who was strewn across the old and dirty floor. "You'll have your turn," he assured her, focusing his attention on the biker who was dangling upside down by her ankle. "Did you ever wonder if humans could fly?" he asked the weakly struggling biker. "Let's say we find out!" He swung the biker around by the ankle and with a roar, sent her crashing through the window face first to fall to the ground three stories below.

"No!" Kim screamed out in anguish as she forced herself to her hands and knees. "Why did you have to-" the redhead gasped for air as Balken's hand once more clamped around her throat and lifted her to her feet and off the ground.

"You need not complain anymore Kim Possible," Balken told the girl as he tightened his grip around Kim's slender throat. "I disposed of your protector as quickly as I could so that I could give you my full attention." He bent slightly from the waist in a mock bow. "Well then princess, how would you like me to end your life?" he asked. "Suffocation? A thrust through your body with my blade? Or would you like to meet the same fate as that useless protector of yours?" He carried Kim closer to the window. "Personally, I prefer the third option." He raised Kim into the air and prepared to send her flying through the broken window when a small ball of metal with a blinking red dot bounced on the floor and rolled to his feet. "What?" the man gulped, realizing what the object was.

Before he could kick the bomb away, the biker woman sailed into the room through the window feet first, slamming the cyborg hard with her feet and making him loose his grip on Kim. While Balken fell onto his behind, the no longer shaded woman gathered Kim into her arms and threw herself out of the window just as the room exploded in a blast of flames, burning wood and black smoke. While the redhead cried out in fear and buried her face into her protector's chest as they fell to the ground, the biker raised her fist and drove it into the hard brick wall to slow their fall. She dug her fingers into the solid material and clenched her jaw tightly as she and Kim slid to the ground, debris pelting them from the burning apartment room above them. A few feet away from the ground, she dislodged her fist and landed hard on the sidewalk with the redhead safe in her arms.

"Are you alright?" Kim pulled away from her protector and took a closer look. She murmured out in sympathy as she observed dark crimson blood flow from a wound on the crown of her protector's head down her pale face. The hero's jade-green orbs widened as she realized that her protector no longer hid her eyes behind shades. Blood steadily flowed down over one closed eye while the other opened, revealing one bright emerald green orb that gazed back at Kim. _Green eyes? Pale skin? Why does she look familiar?_ Kim thought, making up her mind and reaching out with her fingers to pull down the collar of her protector's jacket. Before she could do that and finally shed some light on the mysterious identity of the biker, she was suddenly grabbed once more and whisked out of the way, as a large falling body landed feet first onto the same spot.

Kim stared in shock from the middle of the road as a slightly charred Balken Steel straightened and stepped out of the large cavity he had created on the sidewalk with his landing. "A bomb won't be enough to kill me, wench," he growled at Kim's protector who had gotten to her feet. The collar that had hid the lower half of his face was now gone revealing that half of his face was in fact made of metal. The rest of his trench coat was torn and burned in various places while his dark hair flew wildly against the wind. "This time, you've really made me angry!" He raised both of his arms into the air and transformed them with a cloud of steam into twin gun-cannons. "I will find joy in riddling that body of yours with metal!" Balken Steel roared as he unleashed a barrage of bullets at the biker.

To Kim, everything that was happening seemed to be occurring in slow motion as she watched her protector race forward and swing her arm out in front of her, bullets strangely changing direction as they neared the gloved hand. The hero blinked once, seeing the leather-clad woman take out her Beretta gun and unload her own barrage of bullets at her opponent as she continued to run towards him. She blinked a second time and this time, she watched as the biker closed in on the cyborg, jumping into the air and raising a bent leg in preparation to snap a kick at the man's head. Another blink and Kim witnessed Balken's head snap to the side from the powerful kick. Then… there was chaos.

As Balken's head twisted dangerously on his neck, his gray eyes had remained completely focused on his opponent. Willing his mechanical body to move, the former scientist turned cyborg-criminal retransformed his gun cannon into a normal arm save for the steel fists and mercilessly drove it into the unsuspecting woman's stomach. Not stopping his ruthless attack, the cyborg once again transformed his gun-cannon into its usual arm extension and clamped his hand around the woman's throat. With a smirk, the cyborg threw the biker several yards away, her body slamming into a nearby car and totaling it. To the criminal's disdain, the biker did not get up after falling face first onto the asphalt. He honestly wanted to continue their fight to the death.

Turning slowly around to regard the teen hero with his gray eyes, Balken Steel grinned evilly at the redhead who backed away from him. "No one's going to protect you now, Kim Possible," he told her, combing his unruly hair back with his steel fingers and pointing his gun-cannon arm at the hero. "You could run," he raised his voice as the redhead broke into a run. "But you're not going to get too far!" he unloaded a round of bullet at the road ahead of Kim, effectively stopping her in her tracks. While Kim turned tail and ran in the other direction, Balken's other arm had already transformed into its double-bladed form as he first fired one razor sharp blade at Kim.

The teen hero skidded to a stop just as the fired blade embedded itself into the apartment building behind her while a second blade embedded itself on her other side, trapping her in between. Kim desperately looked around, hoping that she would hear the familiar jet engines of Global Justice or the loud sirens of the Go City Police.

"Don't tell me you're going to beg for your life," Balken said, walking towards the girl and stretching out his arm as a large blade shot out of his arm. "Begging won't do anything and this heart of mine is no longer human." There was a crazed look on his face as he raised his sword-arm up into the air. "Your mutilated corpse will be the beginning of my reign of vengeance!" He brought the weapon down, intent on slicing the teen hero in half, but felt something kick out at his calves. Instead of slicing through the supple flesh of the auburn-haired hero, his blade sliced through leather and flesh on the back of Kim's protector as she threw herself forward and shielded her charge from the fatal blow.

Kim watched in horror as her protector arched her body and withholding a cry of pain before whirling around and ferociously kicking the cyborg away, the blood gushing from the gash on the biker's back splattering onto Kim's face and body. Kim gasped as her protector surged forward and grappled with the far taller and bigger cyborg, trying in vain to throw the man onto the ground.

"Pesky bitch!" Balken roared, grabbing the biker by the front of her jacket and throwing her down the street. Striding towards Kim, he raised both arms and transformed them back into his gun-cannons. "You've wasted enough of my time! Time for you to die Kim Possible!"

The redhead raised her arms, covered her face and closed her eyes. Was this really the end for her? She was going to die by the hands of this deranged scientist. Suddenly, despite her eyes being shut tight, a sudden flash of green blinded the hero. A man's deafening and enraged scream filled the air.

"Bitch! What the hell did you do?" Balken shouted in anguish, stumbling back and away from Kim.

"What… happened?" Kim asked herself softly, staring at the condition of the cyborg man who stood before her. His menacing mechanical arms now resembled scrap metal that had been ripped to shreds while globs of its melted form dripped to the ground. A few feet away from Balken Steel lay the two gun-cannon barrels, its ends frayed. Directing her look at her protector, she almost missed a spark of green flame around the woman's gloved hands. Was she hallucinating? Kim wondered if she really was as her protector strode towards her, picked her up and carried her to the Ducati bike parked down the street.

"We're… not finished yet," Balken Steel growled, ambling after Kim and her protector. His mechanical arms were mess of melted metal, gushing clouds of steam and electrical sparks. "There's no way that I'm going to let you escape!" He began to laugh in a frenzied manner, throwing his head back and looking up at the darkening skies. The sound of metal clinking against the ground halted the cyborg's laughter and made him look down. Gray eyes widening once more in realization, he only had time to utter one curse as a similar bomb exploded at his feet.

Not waiting to see if the bomb had done its job, the biker set Kim down on the motorcycle seat and hopped on, kicking up the kickstand and quickly igniting the engines. She twisted the gas bar hard, speeding down the street and sharply turning into the next street, already knowing that there was only one place she could take her charge.

"Head to the hospital!" Kim shouted over the roar of the motorcycle's engines. "You're hurt!" The redhead anxiously examined the long and deep gash on her protectors back. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the biker was leaving a trail of her own blood behind them. "Please!" she pleaded. "We have to get you to the hospital! You're losing too much blood!" Her pleas went unheard as the motorcycle weaved through the traffic, heading towards Kim's apartment. Once the apartment building was in sight, Kim thought that she would be dropped off and left alone. She was wrong though as her protector guided the bike past Kim's abode and past two more blocks. The college freshman was about to ask where she was being taken when she spotted a garage door of a modest looking apartment slide open from afar.

In a move very similar to a daredevil stunt, the biker shifted gears, gripped the brake bar hard and threw the bike to the left. Wheels squealing against the concrete, Kim held on for her life as the bike skidded to a halt inside the garage as the doors slid shut behind them. The engines were cut off and Kim felt her protector get off the bike and grab hold of her hand.

"Where is this?" Kim asked, allowing the biker to tow her inside the apartment. Even with the familiar black and green furniture that surrounded her, the teen hero still could not guess the identity of her mysterious protector.

* * *

_Can't see straight anymore…_ Shego thought as she dragged her charge into her abode. She didn't have much of a choice to where she should bring Kim. The only logical and safe place she could think of was her own apartment. _Losing… too much blood,_ the villainess thought wearily as she led Kim up the stairs and into her bedroom.

Letting go of Kim's hand, Shego walked over to her bathroom door and pushed it open. She then turned to face the bewildered redhead and gestured at the bathroom. _Go take a bath or something while I…_ she stumbled forward, holding a gloved hand against her pounding head. _Have to… get some treatment!_ The still disguised Shego staggered across her bedroom only to be stopped by her charge.

"You need help!" Kim told her in a worried voice. "Let me take you to the hospital!" she pleaded.

Shego shook her head at Kim, knowing that it would be dangerous for the teen hero to roam around on the streets especially after being attacked by Balken Steel. Gently, the villainess pried Kim's hands away from her forearm, headed out of her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She stood outside for a moment waiting to see if Kim would try to follow her and let out a relieved sigh when she did not. Shego dizzily made her way down the stairs, blinking away the dark spots that were filling her vision and trying not to slip in her own blood. With a moan of pain, Shego unzipped her leather jacket and carefully eased it off.

_Have to call one-eye and get her to send over… a doc-._ Before she could even finish the thought, Shego's legs gave out and made her fall face first onto the polished and blood stained hardwood floors. _Damn it! I'm blacking out!_ Shego wearily reached out with her arm and managed to press a button on the miniature control panel on the arm of her couch. She was sure that the distress signal was now being sent. _Better… get… here… fast… before Kimmie… finds…_ While her communications device attempted to call the director of Global Justice, Shego had already blacked out, a pool of her blood growing on the floor beneath her body.

* * *

Back in the large and fully furnished bedroom, Kim was just about to enter the bathroom to clean up when she heard a loud thud coming from downstairs. "What was that?" Kim wondered, stepping away from the bathroom and walking towards the closed bedroom door. She debated silently within herself if she should go check it out. "It won't to find out," Kim told herself after deciding that she would head out of the room.

Pushing the door open, Kim stepped outside into the hallway and stepped towards the fenced-in landing. From the second floor, she had a clear view of the ground floor and noticed that her protector must have been a wealthy person to afford such an expensive pad. Her jade-green eyes roved the apartment's interior until they locked onto unconscious and bloodied body that lay on the floor by a leather couch. "Oh no!" Kim whispered as she rushed down the stairs towards her fallen protector who was lying in a pool of blood. "Hey!" she called out to the woman. "Are you alright? Please answer me!" The redhead got to her knees, grabbed hold of her protector's arms and twisted her body right side up.

The sight that met her made Kim's heart jolt erratically. "It can't be…" Kim murmured, shocked at what she saw. "You're my protector?" she demanded, holding a fist tightly against her pounding chest. "Shego…" she breathed out as she gazed at the pale and slender face of her arch nemesis.

While Kim continued to gape at her revealed and unconscious protector, a holographic screen blinked on. _"Kim Possible!"_

The redhead looked up from her seat on the floor and stared in surprise at the image of Director Betty. "Director? Please tell me what's going on here? Why is Shego protecting me?" she demanded, her voice quavering.

Director Betty shook her head. _"Save that for another time. We have more important matters to attend to particularly saving Shego,"_ she told the teen hero. _"From the looks of it, Shego was able to send a distress call to me before she passed out. The medical team I sent should be arriving there at any moment. As soon as you hear them knocking, bring them inside the apartment and let them do their work."_

"But why is Shego protecting me?" Kim pressed.

"_Not now Kim!" _Betty threatened. _"Be reasonable! Shego's life is in danger! I promise that I'll explain things as soon as Shego is treated and in stable condition," _she vowed, hearing the pounding of fists on the door. _"That should be the medical team! Hurry and send them in before Shego loses any more blood!"_

Kim jumped to her feet and flung the front door open. A team of four doctors greeted her at the door while three agents from Global Justice carried crates and equipment into the apartment. One of the doctors surveyed the situation and ordered two of the agents to pick the unconscious villainess up and carry her into what looked to be a spacious study on the ground floor.

"Stay there Miss Possible," the doctor ordered the hero when she tried to enter the study along with the other doctors. "We can't afford to have you get in the way and Shego is in bad shape," he explained. "Please stay outside and report to the agents about everything that happened. They will relay it to the Director as soon as you give them all the necessary information." With that said, the doctor shut the door behind him, leaving Kim with the three Global Justice agents. She looked to the living room and saw that the holographic screen was gone. It was apparent that the director wanted to get a report out of her first before fully explaining the situation to her.

"Miss Possible?" One agent stepped forward. "We need your report."

Kim sighed and plopped herself down into a large armchair. "Have any of your comrades checked Brand Street? The apartment's probably still burning, but you should check if Balken Steel's body or parts of his body are still there," she told them, settling back for the next few hours.

* * *

It was past midnight when the doctors filed out of the study and motioned for the agents to head inside the makeshift operating room. "She is out of danger," the doctor told the tired heroine who had waited the whole time in the living room. "We didn't think that the treatment would take so long, but we left out the fact that Shego heals exceptionally fast when her store of power is full." He gestured at the unconscious villainess who was brought out of the room in a stretcher.

"Is there anything I need to do?" Kim asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She was worn out from that day's episode, but she knew she had look after Shego especially since she was temporarily residing in the villainess' home.

The doctor shook his head as his colleagues wheeled their equipment out of the room. "We've done everything already for her and the only thing she needs is sleep." He glanced up the stairs and saw that the agents were on their way down. "Take these," he said, handing Kim a bottle of pills. "Those are strong painkillers and we're expecting that Shego will be feeling quite a lot of pain when she gets up."

"How often does she need to take them?"

"Every six hours or so," the doctor replied, scrubbing a spot of blood on his coat with his finger. "It will be her choice whether to take the drug or not anyway." He looked at his watch and frowned. "We must be going. The director specifically mentioned that the agents must return to headquarters immediately to report while we head back to the medical ward of the organization."

Kim saw the medical team out of the apartment. "Thanks for your help," she told them.

"Not a problem at all Kim Possible," the doctor replied, waving goodbye to the girl and piling into the van with the rest of his colleagues and the three agents.

The auburn-haired heroine watched the van pull away and disappear around the corner before heading back inside the apartment. Walking to the couch with the control panel, Kim guessed and pressed the button that would give her direct contact with Director Betty. Unfortunately, the only thing she got was a busy tone. "It looks like I won't be getting that explanation yet," Kim murmured, fighting back a yawn. She looked up the stairs and saw that Shego's bedroom light was still on. "I should go and turn the lights off," she decided, heading up the stairs and quietly entering the bedroom.

On the right side of the king-sized green and black sheeted bed lay the sleeping and serene looking green-hued villainess. Kim walked around the bed and pulled a chair up beside her protector. "Why is it you?" Kim asked the sleeping woman. "How did you get yourself involved in this?" She was answered by calm breathing and the unmoving tranquil countenance of her arch nemesis. "Who am I kidding? Director Betty better have a good explanation for this!"

As Kim continued to watch over Shego, she could not help but reminisce about those times Shego had come to her rescue as her disguised protector. Shego had saved her from Edsel and his gang, that time when Motor Ed robbed the bank and tried to escape, her mission at Finland and now her recent encounter with Balken Steel. It was only now that she realized that there were so many clues exuded by the disguised Shego that could have given away her identity away. The fighting style, melting the gun of the bank robber with her hands, her manner of dressing in a form fitting race suit and when Kim first locked eyes with those distinctive emerald-green orbs! She should have figured it out on her own, but she did not.

Kim cracked a smile when Shego twitched in her sleep and her hand fell to the side of the bed. "She almost looks like a normal person this way," Kim said to herself, reaching down and taking Shego's hand in hers. Those same hands that had connected with her body so many times during their numerous fights and encounters were actually as smooth as silk to Kim's touch. The redhead yawned as she set Shego's hand back on the bed and leaned forward and rested her head on the mattress. "Just for a few minutes," Kim said sleepily, her eyes betraying her and leading her to a long and fitful slumber.

* * *

"What?! You're pulling my leg one-eye!"

"_I'm doing no such thing Shego! This is an order!"_

Kim groaned and blinked sleepily up at the ceiling. Early morning light streamed through the blinds, brightening the large bedroom. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand, Kim rolled to her side and found herself on Shego's bed and underneath the warm blanket. _How did I get here?_ Kim thought as she sat up in bed.

"This is already a breach of my privacy!"

Kim could hear the villainess arguing heatedly from downstairs to the person she thought would be the director of Global Justice. _Shego is talking to Director Betty about something she obviously doesn't like._ The famous crime-fighter swung her legs to the side of the bed and got to her feet. Kim grimaced at her dirty clothes, noting that her shirt had Shego's blood on it. "What's this?" Kim held up a folded pair of loose black cloth pants and a loose green Go University t-shirt. "Shego studied at Go University?" she wondered aloud, heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Five minutes later, the hero was clean and dressed in the loaned clothes. Kim slipped out of the bedroom quietly and padded down the stairs to the living room where she saw a deeply scowling Shego conversing with the holographic image of Director Betty.

"You can't be serious about making Kimmie stay here with me!" Shego told the director. "I brought her here yesterday because it was the safest place to bring her to at that particular moment!" She gently kneaded her sore shoulder while she sat on couch, wiry arms flexing with the activity. The villainess was dressed in loose black cloth pants and a green wifebeater shirt that did not fully cover the bandages wrapped around her torso.

"_You yourself admitted that your home is the safest place to keep Kim Possible," _Director Betty pointed out. _"I want you to keep Kim close to you for the time being. We both know that you stand a better chance of fighting against Balken Steel compared to others,"_ she continued, her remaining eye wandering across the room and catching the redhead eavesdropping from the stairs. _"Good morning Miss Possible,"_ Betty greeted.

Kim blushed and ducked her head. "Morning Director Betty," Kim greeted back, catching Shego scowl deeply before getting to her feet. "I need coffee," the villainess muttered as she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Kim to talk with the one-eyed director.

"Director? I've been waiting for that explanation since last night," Kim started, settling herself onto the couch.

The director sighed. _"To put it simply Kim, I hired Shego to protect you at the request of your parents."_

"Did they specifically ask for Shego to be given the job?" Kim leaned back and glanced at the raven-haired woman moving about in her kitchen.

Betty shook her head. _"They only requested for a bodyguard, but I was the one who decided that Shego would fit perfectly into the role,"_ she replied. _"As you've noticed, she has been doing an exceptional job of protecting you."_

"How did you get her to agree to this?" Kim demanded. "She wouldn't have agreed to protect her arch nemesis for free!"

"_I'll leave that to Shego to answer for you and if you have any other questions just ask her yourself," _Betty told Kim. _"Before I hang up, you probably already heard that I am requiring you to live with Shego until we capture Balken Steel and put him behind bars."_

Kim nodded. "You're implying that Balken Steel isn't dead yet then?"

"_Unfortunately, my agents confirmed that Balken Steel most likely survived the bomb blast. As of now, I want you stick with Shego," _she told the redhead. _"I'll be calling your parents in a few minutes to explain the situation. Take care of yourself."_

"This is definitely all the more complicated," Kim muttered to herself, getting to her feet and heading towards the kitchen. She felt a bit nervous as she stepped foot into the tiled kitchen and spotted her arch nemesis seated at the table with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. The scowl had not disappeared from Shego's face as she took frequent sips from her mug. "Ummm… Shego?"

"What is it princess?" Shego asked, using her favorite nickname for the redhead.

Kim scuffed her foot against the floor. "Can I ask you a question?"

Shego looked up from her mug of coffee and raised a slender eyebrow at her arch nemesis. "You already asked one, Kimmie," she pointed out, hiding an amused smile by bringing her cup of coffee to her lips.

"Not funny Shego," Kim retorted, slipping into a chair adjacent to Shego's seat. "I was wondering why you decided to take on this job," she began. "Knowing you, you wouldn't have done such a job for free."

"You got that right," Shego snapped, making herself sound irked. "Don't ever let it get into that goody-two-shoes head of yours that I'm doing this job because I care for you!" Shego gingerly leaned back against the back of the chair. "I'm getting a hefty cash payment and a special non-cash payment if I manage to keep you safe until that cyborg freak gets caught."

Kim sighed. "Very typical of you Shego," she told the villainess. "How are you injuries?" she asked as the villainess produced the bottle of painkillers and popped a couple of pills into her mouth.

"Healed," Shego replied simply.

"So fast?"

Shego shook her head. "Rapid cell regeneration Kimmie," she told the girl. "Probably a day or two more before I can get these bandages off. They're such a pain," Shego said in her usual annoyed tone of voice. "Looks like you're stuck to me for the next few months." She glanced at her cellphone, which lit up to alert her of an incoming text message from Hego.

"How did you hide your powers? I'm guessing you had to make use of your powers when Balken Steel was just about to kill me," Kim speculated.

"One-eye gave me gloves that dampened my powers," Shego explained. "As long as I didn't throw off any energy blasts, the gloves would hide the presence of my powers."

"And why did you insist on disguising yourself?" Kim asked.

Shego scowled at her redheaded charge. "What do you think princess?" she retorted. "I'm a criminal, you're a hero. We are arch foes to each other and I can't just go parading around in my usual outfit! My reputation would have been ruined if people saw that such an infamous criminal has stooped down to take on a job to protect her enemy!"

Kim suppressed a giggle with a hand. "Like I said before," she started, gazing mischievously at the villainess. "You _really _do care for me, don't you?" she teased.

"Watch it princess," Shego growled as she flipped her cellphone open and quickly read the message from Hego. "They must be kidding!" she exclaimed, tapping out the speed dial number of her older brother and placing the phone against her ear. "What kind of joke are you playing on me, Hego?" she barked into the phone's mouthpiece.

Kim could hear the current leader of Team Go chuckle on the other line. _"No need to be so violent, sister,"_ he told the fuming Shego. _"I assure you this is not a joke!"_

"You couldn't have possibly convinced both mom and dad to come home to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary!" Shego argued, ignoring the strange looks Kim was giving her. "They're separated for crying out loud!" she added, mouthing a "not now" to her redheaded and green-eyed charge.

"_They're coming home on Wednesday alright and they have both expressed their wishes of having all of their children present during the celebration," _Hego told his younger sister. _"No exceptions Shego! You have to be there or else mom and dad will find some way to drag you to come."_

Shego let out a stream of curses and abruptly hung up on her brother. "Looks like I have to bring you along with me to this oh-so-happy family reunion," she told Kim with a frown. "You'll get to meet the rest of my charming and eccentric family."

"Awww Shego, I'm sure that it won't be so bad!" Kim grinned at the villainess. "I've always wondered about who your parents were and who you inherited your looks and attitude from."

"Don't count on it Kimmie," Shego snapped back as she got up, got another spare mug and filled both of the mugs with coffee. "In the meantime, we'll be dropping by at your apartment to get your clothes and belongings and formally move you into my home."

"So soon?" Kim accepted the mug of coffee and sipped the bitter liquid.

Shego glared daggers at the redhead and gestured rudely at the clothes Kim wore. "I can't have you wearing my spares for the rest of the time you will be staying here," Shego shot back, definitely annoyed that she not only has to attend the family gathering, but also put up with her arch nemesis living under the same roof as her.

"Point taken," Kim agreed. "Got any cereal? I'm kind of hungry."

"Go check the fridge," Shego grumbled, running her fingers through her raven-black hair. This was definitely going to be one of the most difficult times and hurdles in her life.

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

_**I kept my promise! Shego finally reveals herself or should I say Kim has found out about who her mysterious protector is in this latest chapter! And so now, the fun begins! Hehe! This is quite possibly the longest chapter I've written so far for this story and it took me quite a while to get it done. **_

_**Hopefully, it turned out alright and that you guys enjoyed it! **_

_**Next Chapter: Growing Accustomed**_


	8. Note to the Readers

_**A note to all the readers:**_

_**Sorry to disappoint, but unfortunately this isn't the next chapter yet. After receiving more than a hundred reviews, I decided to take some time to explain myself and the reasons behind this story.**_

_**First point: the OOC-ness of the characters. I know that it's expected that I stick to their exuded personalities and way of speaking in the series, but as I explained before I have difficulty doing so. I'm not an avid watcher. I only watch when I have time and that's quite rare for me these days. I'm often surprised if I manage to type a few paragraphs each day because of my busy schedule. I won't be surprised if I stop writing at all when I graduate in less than a year and find a job. So for those readers who have expressed their concern about the matter, I apologize. I will try to make some improvement if the OOC-ness gets that bad.**_

_**Second point: faulty grammar, "lax" writing style, bad jargon and the like. If YOU are reading this, I'm not taking it personally. Perhaps there was just really something with the way I write that you just didn't like. I can't impress everyone though and as mentioned time and again, I'm an amateur writer who barely has time to write let alone edit thoroughly. So if I turned you off (my writing specifically), then I hold nothing against you. It is your choice. I apologize for everything that hasn't impressed you.**_

_**Third point: beta readers. I'm rather hesitant to get one since I've been a member of fanfiction for who knows how many years. There wasn't even an edit-preview thing back then or all these added features. Besides, it would take longer to put up new chapters since I have to pass them on to the beta reader for editing. I don't know honestly. If you have any suggestions then I'm willing to hear them. **_

_**To all the readers who have stayed with me throughout the first 7 chapters of this story, I thank you. **_

_**Shadowed one**_


	9. Growing Accustomed

_Chapter 8: "Growing Accustomed"_

"I-I don't know what to say," Doctor James Possible stammered as he frequently threw glances at his daughter's companion.

"Then why bother saying anything at all, Doc?" Shego snapped, slender eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. "You could just keep your mouth shut and make this easier for everyone," she continued, glowering at the rocket scientist. "Particularly for _me,_" she added with emphasis.

Kim sighed and lightly kicked her protector's shin. "Shego…" she warned. "I brought you here so that we could explain things and not to bite my parents' heads off." The hero threw an apologetic look to her dad and smiled at her ever so patient mother. "Director Betty thinks it's for the best," she told her parents.

"She explained as much Kim," Ann Possible replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "You of course understand why your father and I are rather uncertain about this… arrangement."

"What's that supposed to-" Shego took a step forward only to be held back by Kim.

"Mom," Kim tried. "There's nothing wrong with me living in Shego's apartment!"

"You're living in your enemy's apartment?" Jim and Tim chorused from the kitchen doorway. "That's just really weird!" The twin geniuses scrambled away to safety when the infamous villainess ignited both her hands into the trademark green energy.

"Shego lived here with us for a few days," Kim pointed out to her parents. "That wasn't weird!"

"But then her mind was rewired at that time," James argued. "That was a completely different situation!"

"Like I had a choice," Shego muttered, extinguishing the power that collected in her hands. It had taken Kim two days to convince Shego to accompany her back to her parents' home so that she could explain why she was being made to live with the mercenary. Now that Kim had found out about her identity, there wasn't any use hiding it as seen by the way she was dressed for the occasion. Shego still didn't want the general public to find out about her disconcerting job as the protector of Kim Possible, but she continued to wear her disguise with the exception of the shades. In the presence of Kim's family, her friends and members of Global Justice, Shego wore her leather jacket unzipped just as she was now. Outside in the daylight, the collar was back up to cover half the face of the villainess.

Ann slipped into the booth beside her husband and gazed seriously at her daughter. "It's rather hard for us to trust Shego since she is your arch nemesis."

"She's my arch nemesis who helped me save the world!" Kim let out impatiently.

"The arch nemesis who turned her back twice on the world to go back to a life of crime," James added, avoiding the icy stare he was being given by the green-hued ex-hero. "There has to be something that will assure us that you will be safe with Shego."

"There is one thing then," Kim replied, shifting her weight from one foot to another.

"What?"

"_I _trust Shego," Kim answered, utmost seriousness in her voice. "Dad, Shego has saved me thrice already! She almost died when Balken Steel kidnapped and assaulted me a few days ago! She took a hit that was aimed at me!" She couldn't see how Shego was reacting to her defense, but she continued anyway. "I know this is hard to accept, but I truly believe that I'll be kept safe if I stay with Shego."

"Don't you think you trust me too much?" Shego muttered, stepping away just in time to avoid another kick at her shins.

Kim glared at the older woman first before returning her attention on her parents. "You need not worry about me," she told them.

"You should listen to your daughter." Director Betty strode into the kitchen with Wade following closely behind her. "I assure you, she is in capable hands." She glimpsed a scowling Shego momentarily and cleared her throat. "I would have not chosen and hired Shego to be Kim's bodyguard if I wasn't confident in her capabilities."

James and Ann Possible exchanged worried looks before releasing a defeated sigh. "Alright Kimmie-cub," James finally agreed. "We'll let you live in Shego's home in the meantime until this Balken Steel character is put behind bars." To the director of Global Justice, he asked, "What brings you back to our home, director?"

"This will take a while to explain," Betty told the group. "Everyone should probably take a seat while I explain," she suggested, watching as Kim and Wade slipped into the booth. "Not going to sit, Shego?" She raised an eyebrow at the villainess.

"I'd rather stand, one-eye," Shego replied, leaning against the kitchen wall and fixing an indifferent look on her face.

The director shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, producing a small computer device and setting it atop the table. "I've come up with a report regarding Balken Steel and his recent attack on Kim," she announced to everyone. "The first thing I'll discuss is how he manages keep an upper hand over his opponents."

"You mean his being a cyborg?" Kim asked.

"Well that is one of his advantages, but there's another thing," Betty said. "My agents collected the mechanical limbs left behind by Balken Steel."

"Mechanical limbs?" Ann looked surprised.

"Blasted and half-melted off by Shego," Director Betty answered absently. "Take a look at this," she pointed at the holographic screen that appeared over the computer device. "After a series of tests, we found several nodes within the structure of Balken's arms. Our research team figured out that these nodes receive information from the external environment and process it into useful data that is most probably sent to Balken's brain." She switched the device off.

"Is this why Ron didn't stand a chance against Balken the first time we met him?" Kim lightly rested her elbows on the table and looked deep in thought. "I never doubted Ron's mystical monkey power especially since he's been able to control it these days."

"This particular technology is so highly advanced and sophisticated that it's able to anticipate attacks and turn them against its opponent," Betty explained. "Ronald is indeed gifted with power, but the power becomes useless by Balken's anticipation ability. Through his nodes, he was able to read the oncoming moves of Ronald."

Shego released a loud huff. "So how come I was able to inflict damage on him then?"

"It's only a theory, but it makes the most sense." Director Betty gazed at the villainess with her unobstructed eye. "Your comet-born plasma powers have a property of radiation."

"What does that have to do with this matter?" Shego demanded.

"Radiation is known to make interference with computer equipment or anything automated," James explained for the benefit of the group. "They type of interference varies depending on the appliance or how intense the radiation is. I'm assuming that you are theorizing that the radiation properties of Shego's powers somehow caused an interference with Balken Steel's nodes."

Betty nodded her head. "Exactly and this is the reason why Shego is the best person for this job. She holds a slight advantage over Balken Steel in this way for the time being," she told Kim's parents. "He most probably won't be making an appearance for quite some time-"

"Thanks to me," Shego interrupted, a smug smile on her face.

"Shego…" Kim admonished.

"Don't scold me like I'm a kid, princess," Shego retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I deserve some recognition every now and then."

Before Kim could argue back, the director cleared her throat to catch their attention. "As I was saying," she said, narrowing her eye at both Shego and Kim. "Balken may be out of commission for a few months, but I don't want to take any chances and I'm sure you don't want to take any chances," she told both the rocket scientist and the neurosurgeon. "Shego will do her job. Am I right?" Her eye flicked over to where the villainess stood.

"As long as I get paid and you uphold the other terms we agreed upon," Shego replied, checking her nails.

"Terms?" James demanded, green eyes bulging. "Director, you did not mention anything about payment!" The rocket scientist shot up from his seat in shock.

Director Betty shook her head and motioned for the doctor to take his seat once more. "It's another matter that does not require unnecessary worry," she reassured them. "You aren't the only ones concerned over Kim's well-being. For now, I must get back to work." She nodded stiffly at the group before marching out of the kitchen.

"Well, we better get going then," Kim announced, slipping out of the booth.

Ann frowned at her daughter. "So soon? You've barely been here for an hour and you're raring to go already?"

"I have school tomorrow, mom," Kim reminded the neurosurgeon. "Not to mention I have a bunch of reports and homework to finish," she added. Go University had certainly shown their consideration to the teen hero by allotting her days-off especially after coming from a particularly difficult mission. "I'm lucky that most of my professors have been letting me off easily with my recent absences from their classes."

"Why not stay the night and head back to Go City early tomorrow morning?" Ann suggested, determined to make her daughter spend more time with them. "Besides, Ron has plans of dropping by tonight after he gets off from culinary school."

Kim's jade-green eyes brightened upon hearing her boyfriend's name. It had been quite some time since they had last seen or even talked to each other. She desperately missed her blonde-haired best friend since kindergarten. "Ron's coming over?" she asked, already thinking about accepting the offer of her mother to stay the night.

"Sorry princess," Shego interrupted the auburn-haired teenager's happy thoughts. "Did you forget that today's a Thursday? I have a certain family reunion to attend and my attendance is mandatory." The villainess narrowed her emerald green eyes at her pouting redheaded charge. "That isn't going to work on me, Kimmie," she told the girl.

"Awww Shego!" Kim whined.

"Whose idea was it in the first place that you be placed in my care?" Shego asked the redhead with an exasperated tone. "Since you are placed under my care, you have to come along with me to wherever I go," she said, ignoring the frown developing on Kim's face. "How does a protector protect her charge when she's not with her?"

Kim grumbled quietly as she approached her parents and pecked them on their cheeks. "Looks like I won't be able to stay," she said in disappointment. "I'll send Ron a message explaining why I won't be able to meet him tonight. If not, could you apologize to him for me if ever he does end up coming here?"

"We'll do that Kimmie-cub."

Shego cleared her throat as she headed out of the kitchen. "Come along now princess," she called to the redhead. "If we leave now, we'll arrive just in time at my oh-so-beautiful family's home back in Go City." There was no point to hiding her sarcasm and dread for the upcoming family event. She was not looking forward to spending an evening with her brothers especially.

Kim had to jog to keep up with her protector. "Shego! Wait up! You didn't even give me enough time to say goodbye to my parents!" she complained, chasing the taller woman out of the house.

"How long does it take to say goodbye anyway? Two seconds?" Shego huffed, mounting her bike and zipping her jacket all the way up.

Kim frowned hard at the villainess and halted in her tracks. "Why are you so irritable today?" she demanded.

"Wipe that frown off your face pumpkin," Shego growled and lobbed a spare helmet at the redhead. They had taken Shego's bike to get to Middleton with a lot of arguing on the part of Shego. She debated that it would be easier to weave through rush hour traffic on a bike compared to a car. Kim on the other hand wanted to take her car especially since her brothers had just added new features to it. Of course, Shego had won the argument. "Are you just going to stand there? Come on Kimmie! The sooner we get to my parents' anniversary, the sooner we can leave from it."

Kim stared at Shego in silence for a few seconds, mouth slightly agape. "Do you hate your family that much?" she asked quietly, the frown on her face replaced by a look of concern.

"I don't hate them," Shego admitted in an equally quiet voice, looking away from her charge. "Probably it's borderline when it comes to my brothers," she amended. "But I certainly don't hate them. I wouldn't have agreed to go to my parents' wedding anniversary if I felt that way." For a moment, they were both quiet until Shego shook her head and the scowl had appeared again on her face. "Now can we please go? As much as I don't want to spend time with my buffoon brothers, I'd rather not get in trouble with my parents who are expecting me to be there."

"All right Shego," Kim agreed, putting on the helmet and securing the strap under her chin. "I'm sure that it'll be nice to at least see your parents again," she told Shego as she mounted the bike behind her.

"If you say so, princess," Shego said absently, igniting the engines. "If you say so."

* * *

"Sis! You made it!"

"Get off me brats!"

Kim hid a smile with her hand as she watched the Wegos assault their older sister with hugs. Shego may certainly have expressed her explicit annoyance with her brothers, but it was clear to see that her brothers thought otherwise. "Hey guys," she greeted the unmasked twins with a smile.

"Hello Kim Possible," Hego greeted, appearing at the main hall as unmasked as his youngest brothers. Instead of wearing his Bueno Nacho uniform, the strong man wore loose jeans and a short-sleeved polo shirt. "This is quite a surprise. We were actually only expecting Shego to come," he said sheepishly.

"Wherever I go, Kimmie goes," Shego told her older brother.

Hego raised his eyebrows at his only sister. "What business do you have with her aside from being arch nemeses to each other?" He waved Mego into the hallway where they all stood.

"Shego's my hired protector," Kim explained, waving a greeting to Mego. "My parents asked Global Justice to get someone to protect me from Balken Steel and Shego turned out to be that person."

Hego mightily clapped his younger sister hard on the back. "Glad to have you back on the good side again!"

"Oi..." Shego let out, obviously exasperated by the way the conversation was going. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to go back to the hero business?" she shouted, emerald orbs as cold as ice.

"I can see that the 'little panther's' yowling is more like the roar of an adult panther now," a deep voice proclaimed from deeper inside the house. "Boys don't irk your sister anymore for she might bolt from this celebration," the voice commanded, getting louder as footsteps neared the hall they all stood in. A tall man with the same build as Hego and wearing a dark blue long-sleeved polo shirt and black dress pants stood at the end of the hallway. Steel gray eyes widened in recognition upon seeing the redheaded girl who stood out from among his children. "A pleasure to meet you again Kim Possible," he greeted, saluting the girl.

"Lieutenant General?" Kim stammered, looking first at the man then at his children. "You're the dad of Team Go?" A fierce blush roved her cheeks. She should have known that this decorated military man was the father of Shego. Now it made more sense to her that he was indeed related to her then mysterious protector case.

Shego scowled at her father. "How do you know her, dad?" she asked him.

Logan Go shook his head. "I'll save the details for later, but let's just say she was looking for information about you," he told his only daughter. "I did keep my promise of keeping your jet a secret that's why your charge left the base empty handed."

Shego balked. "You also knew about my job as Kim's protector?" she demanded.

"I am in the military," Logan Go patiently reminded the raven-haired woman before him. "I have my ways of getting information and I do like to find out how my children are doing every now and then," he explained to a very interested and amused Kim.

"And he does that by spying," Shego murmured just loud enough for her redheaded charge to hear. Ignoring her twin brothers who continued to cling onto her around her waist, the ex-hero threw a frustrated 'I told you so' look at Kim. "Can we get this celebration over with? I do have other important things to do."

The Lieutenant General stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest. Putting out his hand, he crooked his fingers at his daughter. "You're forgetting something," he told her. "You do know that your scowling at me won't work," he pointed out, smiling in amusement as his daughter refused to budge from her position. "No? Alright then, I suppose I could have your brothers set up the room and have you assemble my Barrett M107 sniper rifle in complete darkness," he said thoughtfully.

The ex-hero turned protector flinched at the threat. "You bought another sniper rifle?" Shego asked. "Dad, I don't see how you could continue to use this type of punishment on me! I'm twenty-seven already for crying out loud!"

Logan Go shook his head. "Either you do the blind sniper rifle assembly or you give me what I want," he ordered. "Well? Your temper and patience has always been as thin as thread. I am quite sure you would prefer to extend your patience instead of assembling a sniper rifle to perfection and in the dark. " He raised an eyebrow at his daughter, waiting for her to come to a decision.

Kim maintained her silence, but could not hold back her laughter when Shego reluctantly marched forward, stretched out on her tiptoes and pecked her tall father on the cheek. "S-Sorry!" She struggled to control her laughter when Shego glared at her. "But this is just really a new thing for me!" It was certainly an interesting event to witness. It was rare for Kim and anyone else to see such an infamous villainess become submissive.

Logan Go wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and hugged her. "With the greetings done, we can all head inside and have dinner." He let go of Shego and motioned for his sons to follow him. "Two of you head into the kitchen and help your mother," he ordered his sons. To Shego, he said, "Bring your charge inside and be sure to introduce her to your mother before we all sit down for dinner.

"I can pretty much see who the favorite is," Kim whispered to Shego in a teasing voice as they headed inside the house. "I can also see that you take after your dad a lot," she added, grinning broadly when the villainess' cheeks darkened to a mixed shade of deep green and crimson. When Shego remained quiet instead of voicing out a retort, Kim could not help but look at her protector in surprise. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Whenever I voice out a tease or an insult, you'd answer back so easily with a few insults of your own or even a flurry of punches and kicks."

Shego sighed and covered her eyes with one gloved hand. "In the presence of my buffoon brothers and my parents?" she asked, following the rest of her family members into the main room, which connected the living room, dining room and kitchen together. "It'd be too much trouble here to pick a fight with you. Their presence is enough to drive me to sobriety," she told her charge, stopping in her tracks as another woman graced the room. "Mom…" she murmured.

Kim blinked her jade-green orbs as she watched Shego's mother approach them. She was a beautiful woman with long hair not as wavy as her daughter's was and in a shade of shiny brown so dark that it almost looked black. She and Shego shared the same angular facial features and even physical build except that the woman stood slightly taller than the villainess. Shego's mother was dressed in what looked to be her office clothes. She wore a pristine white long-sleeved polo rolled up her arms with a few of the top buttons undone and black pinstriped slacks. Kim caught sight of a discarded blazer that was similar to the woman's slacks hanging on the back of the couch. Focusing her eyes back at the woman, the hero noticed the snapping hazel eyes with flecks of green studying her carefully and fought the urge to look away.

"It's a good thing I decided to overdo tonight's course," Shego's mother said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking carefully at both her only daughter and her companion. "Shannon, I would have at least expected you to dress in something more decent than your racing suit," she said with a frown, hazel eyes twinkling despite the scolding she was giving her daughter.

Shego let out another sigh and met her mother's eyes. "I was in a hurry, mom," she explained wearily. "And I'm in the middle of doing a job," she added, stepping forward into the outstretched arms of her mother. "And please! Can you try not to call me by my real name?" She pulled away and quickly glanced at the perplexed redhead who was frozen in place.

Leila Go raised her elegant eyebrows at her daughter and tipped her head to glance at the frozen Kim. "There's nothing wrong with referring to any of you by your real names especially if you're among family members," she pointed out, smoothing her daughter's crow's-wing black hair with one gentle hand. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed by it because of your friend's presence?" She winked at the redhead who relaxed and smiled wryly at her.

"Yes…" Shego muttered and beckoned Kim to come forward. "Kim meet Leila Go, my mom," she introduced them, watching as her mother shook hands with the teen hero. "Mom this is Kim Possible. I'm currently doing a job that involves protecting her from some freak cyborg," she continued.

"Ah the renowned Kim Possible," Leila started, leading her daughter and Kim to the dining table. "I've always heard so much about your numerous exploits, but I have never gotten the chance to meet you in person." She thanked her eldest son who graciously pulled out her chair for her. "Until now that is," she added, seating herself at the table. "Please sit and help yourselves. Merric pass the salad to Kim and your sister," she ordered, eying her two youngest boys. "Warren! Wallace!" she scolded. "Place your napkins on your laps!"

"Yes mom," the twins chorused, hurriedly doing their mom's bidding and digging into their food.

Kim observed the Go family quietly, carefully noting that the Lieutenant General and Leila Go didn't seem to be on speaking terms. The soldier opted to converse with his two eldest sons while Leila spurred conversation with her only daughter.

"Shannon, when will you ever take some time off from your _work_ to visit me?" Leila asked. "It is most certain that you can easily head over to London and spend a few days there with me. Not unless you're not using that jet your father gave you."

Shego chewed her food and gulped down a glass of water. "I'm a criminal, mom," she reminded her mother, setting her utensils on her plate. "I can't just go waltzing into the city without being tailed by the authorities." She leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Besides, I'm kind of caught up in my latest job."

"And that would be?"

"Protecting this girl here," Shego replied, jerking her head at the redhead sitting to her left.

Leila eyed Kim with a look of interest. "You're protecting Kim Possible? That's quite an ironic twist of fate," she commented. To Kim, she asked, "How is your mother? It's been several years since I last saw her."

"You know my mom?" Kim asked, surprised that someone like Shego's mother would know her mom.

Leila nodded and smiled at the redhead. "Your mother was a certain med student that I met after having a mishap with a prototype security system my father developed recently at that time," she replied drily.

"Really? What happened?" Km fixed a curious gaze at the older woman and leaned forward on her elbows.

Leila chuckled and took a sip from her glass of water. "I was quite an acrobatic youngster back then. Usually, my father hires his experts to test the security systems out, but for some reason there was no one available," she told the redhead. "So I hastily told him that I'd give it a try." She let out a long sigh.

"Didn't turn out well?" Kim guessed, looking sympathetically at the woman.

"Pretty much," Leila replied. "I broke a rib and almost got cut in half by the lasers built into the system. It turned out the operators were ignorant and had immediately set the security system level to the second highest level. I was rushed to the hospital where your mother, who was still a student, kept me company throughout the three days I was confined." She smiled at the memory. "Doubtless your mother may have forgotten me already. I had just graduated from college and your mother was in her late teens."

"So that means you married young," Kim stated, covering her mouth after realizing what she had just said.

Leila laughed but nodded her head anyway to answer Kim's question. "Yes I married young. Hector over there," she looked at the Bueno Nacho manager. "Is my eldest son," she continued. "Then came Shannon, then Merric then the twins."

"Wasn't it hard to care for five children?" Kim asked. "Especially five superpower enhanced children," she added, eying the four male children who were laughing hardily with their father. "And there's also…" she paused, furrowing her brows.

Leila beat her to it. "You mean my relationship with my husband?" she said softly enough for only Kim to hear. "We had a falling out especially when I inherited my father's business and when he started to get promoted to higher positions in the Air Force. It was hard on the boys and I expected Shannon also felt the same," she explained.

Kim looked to her side and realized that the seat occupied by her protector was vacant. She was so occupied with her conversation with Shego's mother that she didn't notice the villainess slip away from the table.

"Shannon was never good with expressing her emotions and she certainly didn't show how she felt about how her father and I decided on a separation," Leila continued. "She spent her teen years travelling back and forth from London and Go City. Eventually, her father gave her a jet of her own so that she would be able to travel around more easily. And then she left Team Go and decided to become a criminal…" Leila eyed the glass sliding doors that led outside to their backyard. "Since then, she kept to herself and rarely contacted her parents."

"The both of you loved her," Kim said.

"Well of course!" Leila replied. "She is our only daughter and she is the only one among our children who mostly takes after both her mother and father," she explained, getting to her feet and collecting the empty plates on the table.

"Let me help," Kim said, standing up and reaching for the other plates.

Leila pulled away and shook her head at the hero. "It's alright. I'll have one of the boys assist me," she told Kim, heading towards the kitchen with Mego and one of the twins following her. "In the meantime, why don't you go see where Shannon has gone off to?" Leila disappeared into the kitchen and left Kim to decide her course of action.

Deciding that there was nothing else to do except maybe to join in the heated debate between the Lieutenant General and Hego, Kim walked to the sliding doors, slid them open and stepped out into the cool night. The expansive backyard was lit by a string of lights hanging overhead and the street lamps that lined the street. At the middle of the yard a few feet away from a stout tree stump, there stood Shego with a serious look on her face.

"So I'm assuming your hero names were based on your real names," Kim started, approaching the older woman, whose shoulders merely drooped in reaction.

"It was the simplest way that presented itself to us when Team Go was still in its infancy stage," Shego replied absently. "Besides that, Hego just didn't have any creativity in that brain of his. He claimed that it was so smart of him to come up with our aliases that were supposedly based on our real names, when in fact his initial idea was to combine third person pronouns with either our surname or the name of the city," she added in disdain.

"Shannon's a pretty name," Kim remarked, a hint of teasing in her voice. The rest of her really thought that the name actually suited the green-hued villainess.

Shego let out an undignified snort. "I suppose it is," she said in a wry tone. "My dad has some Irish blood in him just as the rest of my siblings and I have. He and I are the only ones though who have Irish names." Shego continued to gaze at the tree stump sticking out of the yard.

"So your real name is Shannon Go?" Kim queried, walking to Shego's side and also eying the stump in curiosity.

The villainess shook her head and rubbed her arm. "Shannon Logan Go," she corrected. "I'm also named after my father so I have a second name," she told the redhead, the usual sarcasm devoid from her voice.

"S.L.G.!" Kim realized, slapping her hands together.

Shego glared at her charge. "What?"

Kim shook her head and apologized for her sudden outburst. "Sorry, I just realized that your initials are S.L.G.," she explained herself.

"Not making any sense, Kimmie," Shego pointed out impatiently.

The redhead sighed. "While you were still going incognito or more appropriately incognita, I tried having Wade do some research on you particularly on your Ducati." Kim walked forward and settled herself on the grass, leaning her back against the tree stump. "The only information Wade could give me were those initials, which were found on both the check and order form."

Shego gave Kim a tight smile. "I had to go through certain lengths to keep my identity a secret and throw off both the police and Global Justice," she told her charge, looking up at the star lit skies. "It all started here…" she murmured.

Kim looked up at Shego from her seat on the ground. "This is where you and your brothers got their powers?" She remembered how Hego had explained the origin of their multi-colored powers when she and Ron had met the man on their first visit to Go City. "It's a bit hard to believe that the five of you survived a comet crashing into your tree house."

"I figured I was going to die, but the comet had other plans." She glanced over her shoulder and quickly looked through the sliding doors to see what her parents and siblings were doing. "Once the comet struck, it was as if we were in suspended animation as the comet imbued us with its powers," she explained. "After each of us got a power, that's when the comet released us from suspended animation and we got caught in the explosion."

Kim nodded her head. "You survived the impact because all of you had your powers," she concluded, seeing the look Shego gave her. "I did notice that you always managed to come out without a scratch or barely injured whenever you and I would exchange blows," Kim explained, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Then there was also that time I kicked you into that electrical signal tower," she added sheepishly.

"Ah that time when you said that you hated me," Shego said drily. "I suppose you still hate me especially since your arch nemesis is only protecting you for the money." She had no idea why she said that, but she was somehow hoping that Kim would agree.

"Actually, I don't," Kim replied, not noticing the shocked look on the villainess' face that quickly disappeared. "I was operating on emotion that time and I didn't realize what I was saying until I said it." She gazed up at Shego and smiled softly at her. "Besides, why should I hate the person who's been protecting me?"

Shego shook her head at the teen hero and turned away. "You'll be thinking otherwise when that time comes when Balken Steel will be either dead or behind bars," she told Kim, adding steel to her voice. "I will never reform myself and I'll be back to doing my criminal activities as soon as this job is over." Without waiting for her redheaded charge to reply, Shego stalked back into the house intent on informing her parents that she needed to leave already.

* * *

"Come and kiss me goodbye, 'little panther.'"

"Dad! Stop calling me that!" Shego scowled as she held her ground and let her father envelop her in a hug.

Logan Go grinned and released his daughter. "It was nice to see you again at least," he told her. "And since you're in the area, I'll be expecting you to drop by every now and then." The statement was phrased as a suggestion, but Shego and everyone else around her knew that it was an order.

"I'll see what I can do," Shego muttered and turned to her mother who was slipping on her blazer. "As for London, I'm not so sure when I'll find the time to drop by at the company." She briefly hugged her mother and let the other woman peck her on the cheek.

"Come when time permits you then," Leila told her daughter. "I'm sure you'll end up in London sometime either as Kim's protector or as a criminal." She playfully pinched her daughter's nose before pulling away. To Kim, she said, "It was a pleasure to meet you Kim Possible. If you happen to be in London, please come pay me a visit. Don't let Shannon here run you ragged. Based on how she talks about you, I'm rather sure that she likes you." She shook hands with the teen hero and ignored Shego's angry sputtering of denial. "Give your mother my regards and my calling card." Leila handed the redhead her calling card and glanced at her watch. "Well, I must be off. My flight leaves in a few hours," she informed everyone, giving each of her sons a kiss on the cheek before stepping out of the front door. She waved goodbye to everyone before boarding a rented and chauffeured limousine.

"I'll go ahead," Shego said, going to the driveway and grabbing the two helmets set on the bike's seat. "Catch Kimmie," she threw one helmet at Kim then turned to salute her father. "As for the rest of you buffoons, I'm not looking forward to seeing you anytime soon," she told her brothers, who exchanged looks with each other. Putting on her helmet, Shego jumped onto her bike, ignited the engines and sped off into the night.

"Well boys," Logan Go began, running his fingers through his hair. "Let's clean up everything inside before you all head off to your own homes." Hego and Mego had their own apartments while the twins lived in their school's dormitory. "Not bad for a 30th wedding anniversary," Logan mused.

"Despite the fact you and mom hardly spoke a word to each other," Mego muttered.

Thirty minutes later, Shego and Kim pulled up inside the villainess' garage. After killing the engine, the raven-haired woman strode into her house and switched on the lights. "Damn," she cursed, slapping her forehead with her gloved hand. "I completely forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Kim picked up Shego's discarded leather jacket and hung in the nearby hall closet.

Shego tugged off her gloves and scowled. "I was supposed to buy another bed to put in one of the spare rooms so that you could sleep there," she answered, heading up the stairs and unzipping the front of her race suit. Inside her room, the ex-hero stuffed her gloves into a drawer and proceeded to peel the black race suit off her body. "Since I stupidly forgot about that chore, I'll have to bear having you sleep in my bed for one more night."

"And you're going to sleep on the couch again?" Kim asked in dismay, having followed the villainess into her room. She didn't really understand why Shego slept on the couch downstairs when it should have been her instead. The only reason Shego could give her was that if ever someone broke into the house to attack Kim, it was most likely that she would be able to intercept the intruders before they get to the bedroom.

"It's either that or we share the same bed, princess," Shego replied, heading to her closet to pull out more comfortable clothing. She was just about to peel the rest of the suit off when she realized that her charge had gone silent. Turning around to check, Shego raised her eyebrows at the redhead whose jade-green eyes roamed her barely clothed body. "Like what you're looking at, princess?" she asked, mischief and amusement playing in her eyes.

The hero's jaw dropped. "N-No!" Kim stammered, furiously shaking her head.

"Oh really?" Shego languidly crossed her arms over her chest. "Then why are you still staring?"

"I'm not staring!" Kim shouted, whirling around and covering her heated cheeks with her hands.

Shego smiled to herself, silently deciding that she could do with some teasing before she went to bed for the night. "Hmmm… I didn't think that you swing that way, pumpkin," she teased, walking towards the girl. "What's the matter? Not getting enough _alone _time with Stoppable?" she whispered huskily into Kim's ear.

"Shego!"

The villainess laughed and let the girl jump away from her. "I'm just teasing, Kimmie," she reassured the girl, walking back to her closet and selecting a loose shirt. "You know very well that I derive pleasure from teasing you." She pulled on the shirt, peeled off the rest of the tight suit and pulled on a pair of thin cloth pants.

"You're evil, Shego," Kim muttered as she took a pink shirt and jogging pants from her duffel bag.

The villainess chuckled. "I know, Kimmie." She tossed the racing suit into the laundry basket then made her way to the door. "I'll be going ahead. There are some shows I want to watch before I go to bed," she told the redhead. "When you wake up tomorrow make sure you wake me up too before you head to school."

"Why?" Kim paused at the bathroom door and eyed her protector.

Shego rolled her eyes. "To do my job of course!" she said in exasperation. "I have to follow you around and keep you safe, right?" The villainess shook her head at her charge. "Seriously Kimmie, we've been doing this arrangement for a few days already and you're still not getting the point!" she said crossly. "If you wake up earlier than me tomorrow, do me a favor and brew coffee," she ordered, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind her before Kim could protest.

"Who does she think she is anyway?" Kim demanded in annoyance as she stepped into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, images of Shego's wiry and barely clothed body flashed in her mind's eye. _What in heaven's name am I thinking?! _The teen hero shook the thoughts out of her head and tried to concentrate on brushing her teeth.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**First of all, I'd like to apologize to those people who were disappointed that I uploaded a note instead of a real chapter the last time. I do feel better though after doing that and receiving all your suggestions and comments. Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Next chapter: Chaperone**_


	10. Chaperon

_Chapter 9: "Chaperon"_

One thing Kim realized from the first two weeks of living in with her arch nemesis was that Shego was not a morning person. Not only was she easily irritable in the mornings, she was very prone to snapping at any one who dares start a conversation with her. Kim learned the hard way that it was better to try communicating with Shego after she had at least two cups of coffee on one particular morning. The teen hero was lucky to escape the house without a single coffee stain on her clothing after Shego had gallingly hurled her half-empty mug of coffee at her. She learned that scolding and hurrying Shego in the mornings was one of those things she should not do if she valued her life.

It was rather difficult to adapt to the villainess' on and off, hot and cold attitude. Shego had always been a temperamental being and had a short fuse. Despite the short tempers and Shego's regular supply of insults and rants, Kim knew that her protector did her job to the best of her abilities although it was often seen done in disdain. She saw it whenever she'd leave a grumpy Shego behind to go to school, but would end up seeing her ten minutes later leaning against a nearby school building or stretched out on a thick branch of a tree hidden by the cover of leaves and other branches, watching Kim with those deep emerald green orbs. She heard it whenever the green-hued woman would silently push the door of the guestroom open to check on her charge in the wee hours of morning. Shego kept her promise of buying a bed and converting one of the spare rooms on the second floor into a bedroom for her charge. Of course, Kim knew better than to ask the villainess the reason behind her actions. She'd rather let Shego think that she was fast asleep whenever she'd check on her at night.

In the late afternoons and evenings, Kim would usually do all her schoolwork before heading down to the main floor to either make or eat dinner. She and her protector had come to terms regarding who would make dinner since they both took lunch separately and they didn't need to cook for breakfast. Kim wasn't a gifted cook, but she knew the basics thanks to some lessons from Ron. On the other hand, Shego didn't want to give Kim too many liberties on the matter and limited her to cooking only on the weekends. The villainess was particularly adept working in the kitchen to Kim's surprise. Not only did Shego have an arsenal of weapons, equipment and fighting techniques, she also had quite an arsenal of recipes. Conversation at the table was also very limited. Often than not, the only talk that went on during dinner was where Kim was going the next day and if Shego approved of it or not.

That was another problem Kim had with her protector. Shego may have been hired to protect Kim, which entailed following her around, but Shego thought otherwise. If the villainess didn't approve of where Kim was going the next day, she wouldn't allow her to leave the house. The teen hero could only fume silently as Shego waved off her arguments and simply explained that it was too much of a hassle and that it would be difficult to protect her. The only times Shego went along with Kim willingly and without any trouble were during missions, school, appointments with Global Justice and visits to her Middleton home. Even in the Possible home, Kim could not convince the villainess to come inside and wait for her to finish visiting her family. She would always end up finding her protector either tuning up her bike on the driveway or seated at the doorstep, filing her nails or leafing through a magazine.

Kim could not help but feel irritated at the older woman, but as the weeks went by her thoughts about the matter started to change. She rarely lost her patience now and learned to live with Shego's moods. She was adapting quite nicely to the changes in her life except for one little thing. The only problem was that she wasn't too sure what it was, but she'd be reminded of it whenever she caught herself gazing too long at the raven-haired woman.

* * *

"Hey Shego…"

"Hmmmm?"

Kim sighed and turned her eyes away from the television. "Shego…" she tried again, knowing that the villainess wasn't really paying attention to her.

"What is it, princess?" The raven-haired woman asked, not taking her eyes away from the television. After cleaning up after their dinner, Shego had immediately settled down in the living room to watch some evening shows. Kim had followed suit after finishing all her schoolwork. They usually spent their evenings like this, sitting side by side on the couch and watching a variety of shows until one of them tired from it.

Kim frowned. "Why do you always call me by that?"

"Yeah? Which would you prefer?" Shego asked, looking at Kim with the corners of her eyes. "Princess? Kimmie? Or Pumpkin?" She covered a yawn with her hand and stretched out her legs.

"Neither," Kim replied flatly. "Seriously Shego! Stop treating me like a kid!" She scowled at the older woman, bringing up her feet to the couch and hugging her knees to her chest. "Can you stop with your teasing first and hear me out for a few seconds?"

"Serious talk huh?" Shego muted the television and twisted in her seat to get a better look of her charge. "Alright Kimmie, what do you want to talk about?" she asked the girl, a look of interest on her face.

"Could we please do something about this relationship?" Kim asked.

Shego raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What relationship?"

"_Our_ relationship," Kim replied.

"Why princess! You want to take our relationship to the next level?" Shego smirked as she watched the redhead thrust away from her. "Aren't you kind of in a rush? We haven't even gone on a date yet," she teased, silently enjoying how she was making Kim so flustered.

"I didn't mean it that way!" Kim cried out, cheeks flushing crimson. "Could you please put the teasing aside and just listen to what I have to say?" she asked.

Shego chuckled and locked her hands behind her head. "I'm listening."

"Look. With the way things are, it looks like I'm going to be staying with for you more than a few months," Kim began, feeling a bit unsure of why she was bringing this up. "If we're going to be living together for that long, then I'd at least like to have a working relationship with you." The redhead ignored the strange look on the other woman's face. "As friends of course," she added quickly.

Shego stared at Kim for a few seconds before turning her attention back at the television screen. "Not interested," she told the girl. She seriously didn't want to agree with her. In some way, this was taking it to the next level of their relationship. The only relationship they had was their on and off fighting as hero and criminal. She didn't bother to count that time when she Electronique had modified her personality and changed her into Miss Go.

"Why not?" Kim demanded. "Turn the TV off!" She tried to grab the remote from her protector's hands.

"Who made you the boss here?" Shego retorted, holding the remote control out of Kim's reach. There was a short scuffle between the two women with Kim falling over Shego's body at the end. Shego raised her eyebrows as she locked gazes with her redheaded charge who was pressed against her chest. She struggled to come up with a snide remark, but her mind fumbled with the task. She was pulled in by those deep jade green eyes and the feel of those soft curves pressed against her body. It was her cellphone that finally snapped her out of her thoughts. "Enjoying yourself, princess?" she snapped, watching in relief as her charge immediately jumped off. To her surprise, the teen hero did not answer back. "Something wrong?"

"I was serious about what I said, Shego," Kim blurted out, trying her best to ignore the heat in her cheeks.

Shego tapped her fingers against the arm of the couch. "You mean about being… friends?" she clarified. Of course, she knew what the girl was talking about. If she were in her place, Shego would have felt awkward keeping a strict professional relationship with the person hired to protect her. "I don't know, Kimmie," she admitted with a frown.

"Why are you hesitant about this? We're just going to be friends right?" Kim demanded.

Shego sighed. "It's not that simple," she told the girl patiently. "I'd rather keep looking at this as a job. Besides, there's still one important factor that you're forgetting."

"What's that?"

Shego rolled her eyes. Why was Kim being so difficult? "Hello! You're a hero and I'm a criminal!" she let out sarcastically. "Even if I did agree to go with this whole friends thing, the time and effort that we will both put into your plan would be a complete waste after this job is done and over with!" The villainess crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll go back to being a criminal and you'll be chasing after me again."

"That doesn't matter to me," Kim replied, standing in front of the seated villainess with her hands on her hips. "I still want to try anyway. I don't really care that after your job is over, you and I will go back to being arch foes. I want to be friends, Shego," she told the older woman who was still shaking her head. "You've done so much for me already."

Shego covered her eyes with one hand. "If it's going to make you quiet down, then fine," she muttered. "We could go for this arrangement then." Her hand dropped and she stared hard at her charge. "I'm not promising anything though, Kimmie," she added. "You're still annoying and-"

"That's fine, Shego," Kim interrupted, softly smiling. "I can live with that for now." She held back a yawn and stretched her arms. "I think I'll head off to bed first," she announced, making her way to the stairs. "Oh by the way Shego," Kim added. "I'm going out tomorrow."

"Where are you off to now? I hardly get any rest on the weekdays from having to follow you around all the time and now you want to take away my weekends?" Shego complained. She wasn't complaining just to be difficult. She was rather worn out doing her job. During the week, she had to tag-a-long with Kim on two consecutive missions in one day. It didn't help that those two missions were on different ends of the earth.

Kim ignored the annoyed expression on her protector's face. "I'm going out on a date with Ron. Well, it's more like a date with him plus hanging out with another friend," she corrected herself.

"So if you're going out with the buffoon, who's the friend that's coming along?" Shego asked, running a hand over one chiseled arm.

"Tai," Kim answered. "I've been wanting to introduce her to Ron for quite some time now and tomorrow seems to be the best time to do that." She raised an eyebrow at the villainess. "And can you stop calling my boyfriend a buffoon?"

"I'll call him whatever I like," Shego retorted. "I still wonder why you ended up falling for him," she muttered, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "That Mankey boy seemed to be a better catch and you could also consider Eric a better one too if you disregard his being a syntho-drone."

Kim's cheeks flushed both in embarrassment and in anger. "Ron has been my best friend since kindergarten!" she rounded on the ex-hero. "He's been there for me always and has saved me so many times!"

"Not to mention, he constantly makes a fool of himself," Shego pointed out, returning Kim's glare with a wry smile. "Face it Kimmie. There are probably a million other people including myself who continue to question the relationship you have with the buffoon."

"His name is Ron!" Kim shouted, she turned on her heel and stomped up the stairs. She was fuming at how Shego disregarded Ron and even made fun of him. Why did Shego have to say those things anyway? "If you're going to do nothing but trash him, then I don't want to see you tomorrow at the Go City Mall!" She slammed her bedroom door behind her, leaving an amused Shego behind.

"If you didn't want me to follow you, then you shouldn't have told me where you were going to hang out tomorrow," Shego murmured, pointing the remote at the television and switching it off.

* * *

"Kim, you're twitching like an epileptic," Ron remarked, cocking his head to the side and eying his girlfriend.

The teen hero flinched at the comment and forced herself to relax. Only an hour had gone by since she had met up with Ron at the Go City Mall and she couldn't help but feel restless. The previous night, she realized her stupidity after she had locked herself up inside her bedroom. Kim had expressed that she did not want Shego to be following her today, but ended up blabbing out the location of her date with Ron. "Sorry," she apologized, leaning back against her seat at an outdoor coffee shop.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked. "Are you expecting a criminal to pop out of nowhere today?"

"Not quite," Kim replied, smiling dryly at the blonde-haired boy. "Don't mind me. I'm just feeling a little worried that something might spoil our date like what happened the last time," she reasoned out, eyebrows furrowing at the blank look on her boyfriend's face. "Ron!" she let out in exasperation.

"Huh?" The boy blinked and slapped his forehead. "Oh you mean that time when that cyborg freak made his first appearance!" He laughed nervously for a few moments before clearing his throat. "So how have you been doing?" he asked, brown eyes softly settling on her. "I missed you when you were back at Middleton a few weeks ago. Your mom explained that you already had something planned out."

Kim sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Sorry about that," she apologized.

"What where you going to do anyway that time?" Ron took a long sip from his iced coffee drink. "Oh and I heard that you have a bodyguard. Where is he anyway?" He began to twist around in his seat, checking out his surroundings for to so-called bodyguard.

"Never mind the bodyguard and what I was doing at that time," Kim told the boy, nervously looking around herself. She hoped that Shego wasn't around and that Ron wouldn't spot her if ever she was in the area. Ron still had no idea that her hired bodyguard is actually her arch-nemesis and that she currently resided in her home. "I'd rather know if you have any plans for the Christmas break. It is going to start next week."

Ron smiled and shook his head. "Nope! Not doing anything at all!" he replied with a wink. "I did it that way so that you and I could spend time together!"

Kim smiled and reached out to place her hand in Ron's. "I'd like that," she admitted, turning her head when the corners of her eyes caught sight of a familiar dark-haired girl coming towards their table. "Tai!" She stuck her hand out in the air and waved to the football player who was leading along a young boy who looked to be six or seven years old. "I didn't know you were bringing someone along," she told the other girl when they she reached their table.

Tai smiled at the redhead and gently ruffled the boy's ebony-brown hair. "Sorry 'bout this, but I just realized this morning that my parents were going to drop of my little brother for a weekend visit." She gently pushed the little boy forward. "Say hi to Kim, Vaughn."

The boy looked up and shyly smiled at the redhead before stepping back and hiding behind his big sister's long legs.

"He's a shy guy, huh?" Ron remarked, peering at the little boy with kind eyes. "He certainly looks like you though," he told the girl, getting to his feet and offering his hand.

Kim took over for the introductions as Tai shook hands with her boyfriend. "Tai this is Ron," she introduced. "Ron this is Tai." She hauled two chairs to their table and motioned for the brother and sister to take their seats. To the little boy, Kim said, "Hi Vaughn, I'm Kim Possible." She gave him a warm smile and stuck her hand out to him, which he shook. "Have you been enjoying yourself so far here in Go City?"

The boy nodded his head and let out wide grin, showing that he was missing a tooth. "Sis has been taking me around and she promised that she'd take me to the big toy store later on!" he told them in a high-pitched voice. "Is it true that the toy store in this mall is the biggest in the world?"

Kim pretended not to notice that Tai ducked her head in embarrassment and that Ron was laughing. It was clear that her friend had been exaggerating to her younger brother. "Well, it's definitely one of the biggest," Kim mused. "It's also usually one of the first stores to receive stock of the newest toys," she assured both the young boy and his older sister.

"Cool!" Vaughn exclaimed, swinging his legs underneath his chair. "Can we go now, Sis?" He bounced excitedly in his seat.

"In a while, Vaughn," Tai told her brother patiently and flagged down a passing waiter. "I'll have this," she pointed out what she wanted in the menu to the waiter before turning to the boy at her side. "Do you want anything?" she asked him.

"Oatmeal cookie and milk please!"

"Coming right up!" The waiter replied with a smile before heading inside the coffee shop.

Tai let out a sigh of relief. "I was just about to ask if they did have oatmeal cookies in their menu," she said wearily, reaching down to knead her calves. "He always orders the same thing at any coffee shop."

"Training?" Kim asked. "She's in the football team of Go University," she told Ron who was just about to ask. "You guys have been stepping up the training for the past few weeks," she pointed out.

"There's a tournament coming up and we mean to win it this year," Tai explained, sitting up as the waiter approached their table balancing a laden tray on one hand. "Thanks," she told him and set the glass of milk and the oatmeal cookie in front of her younger brother before claiming her own drink. "Anyway, I'd like to interview your boyfriend for a while."

Ron look startled. "Who me?"

"Yes you!" Tai laughed, leaning her arms against the edge of the table. "I heard that while Kim studies in Go University with me, you're enrolled at a culinary institute at Middleton," she recounted. "So what exactly are you learning now? Kim mentioned to me once that you were a particularly good cook!"

The blonde-haired boy waved off the compliment, his cheeks slightly reddening. "Oh we're doing a French cuisine course right now and I'm supposed to be having an exam next week before we go off for Christmas vacation," Ron explained to the athlete. "When I get back from the break, we'll be taking up south east Asian cuisine."

"How about a demo some time?" Tai asked.

Ron grinned. "I wouldn't mind. Just plan something out with Kim and I'll figure out what to cook up for you guys whenever that time comes!"

"Me too?" Vaughn chirped, crumbs falling from his lips.

"You're welcome to come along!" Ron told the boy as Tai scrubbed the face of her younger brother. "I just learned how to make a killer dessert crepe and I'm sure you'd like it."

"Wow! I can't wait to try that!" Vaughn exclaimed before hopping down from his seat. "Sis, can I peek through that pet shop's window?" He pointed down the street.

"I don't know," Tai said with a frown as she checked her watch. "I should probably go along with you." Before she could make up her mind, Ron had gotten out of his chair.

"I'll accompany him," he offered as Rufus stuck his head out of Ron's pocket. "I need to buy some stuff anyway for Rufus at the store." He held onto Vaughn's hand and allowed the boy to tow him down the street towards the pet store.

When the two boys disappeared into the store, Tai focused her amber eyes at Kim. "I went over to your apartment to drop something off, but the housekeeper said that you no longer lived there," she told the teen hero. "Where exactly are you living now anyway?"

Kim shook her head. "It's better if you didn't know, but my moving does have something to do with the whole cyborg incident," she told her friend. "You don't have to worry though. I'm perfectly safe at the place I'm staying at despite how people would perceive it in a different manner if they knew the truth."

"I suppose I can't convince you to tell me?" Tai asked, grinning at the look Kim gave her. "No? Oh well, it's not my business to pry such confidential information from you anyway." The football player gulped down the remainder of her drink and glance down the street. "I wonder what's taking them so long?" she wondered aloud.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders and fixed the collar of her jacket to fit more snuggly around her neck. "You know how kids are in a pet store. They go all gooey-eyed at puppies and the like," she hypothesized. "Well, my brothers were an exception," she corrected herself. "They went all gooey-eyed in a tech store."

Tai could not help but laugh at what her friend said. "As for Vaughn, I highly doubt he's stuck on the puppies or kittens. He hinted to me that he liked the reptiles more," she explained. "I also doubt that my parents would appreciate a reptile running amok in our house," she added with a shiver. "I never liked anything with scales."

"Anyway, I've been hearing things that you've been hanging around that shady biker woman," Tai said, interest twinkling in her eyes. "Have you found out who your mysterious knight in errr…." She struggled to come up with the right description. "… shiny black racing suit is yet?" she continued with a grin.

Kim blushed and shook her head fervently. "N-No!" she let out in a stammer. Now wasn't the right time to let the whole world know what was going on between her and Shego. Besides, the villainess would prove to be quite unhappy if she were to find out that the cat was out of the bag. "I still have no idea who she is," she lied, hoping that her face wasn't giving her away.

Tai looked at her inquisitively before shrugging her shoulders. "I guess she just doesn't want to be known and acknowledged," she guessed. It was uncertain that the athlete sensed that her friend was lying. "The police have been asking people and scouring the neighborhood for her though," she informed the teen hero, who looked surprised. "She is a suspicious character and illegally possesses a variety of weapons," she reminded the other girl.

"Oh." Kim frowned and fixed it in her mind to inform Shego about the cops. "Anyway, why don't we pay up and head over to the pet store to check out why Ron and your brother are taking so long?" she suggested, waving their waiter over and promptly paying for their purchases.

"Sounds good," Tai agreed as she got to her feet and flexed her calf muscles. As she and Kim made their way down the sidewalk, Tai rubbed her ears. "Is it just me or am I really hearing a ringing sound?" she asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Ringing?" Kim looked around warily as she too heard the eerie ringing sound that was steadily getting louder. "I hear sirens," Kim confirmed. "But that strange ringing is definitely not coming from that." When they were a few yards away from the pet store, Kim realized that the ringing sound vaguely reminded her of a laser weapon that was just about to be fired. Snapping her head to look to the skies, Kim saw a large doomsday laser weapon aimed at them from atop a building. "Get out of the way!" she shouted at Tai, diving forward and shoving Tai out of the blast zone. The pavement behind them exploded as Kim and Tai sprawled over each other out of harm's way.

"Did you honestly think that a prison would keep me from accomplishing my goals, Kim Possible?" A familiar accented voice boomed from above them.

"Oh why now?" Kim complained as she flipped back up onto her feet and glared up at the diminutive masked criminal whom she brought down in her Finland mission. "Professor Dementor! Can't you for once enjoy the confines of your high security cell at prison?" she demanded, motioning for Tai to get up and find cover.

"Enjoy my prison cell? Bah! I much rather enjoy committing crimes particularly having my henchmen loot a precious stones and jewels convention while I distract you with this!" The professor jumped behind the large laser and aimed it down at Kim. "Hold still while I lock onto your heat signature!"

"You wish!" Kim muttered, leaping to the side and into a narrow alleyway. She listened to the frustrated shouts of the man as he searched for his quarry. The walls of the alley were close enough for her to use with ease so she wall-kicked her way up seven stories before landing on slightly bent knees on the rooftop. "Looking for someone?" She smiled sweetly at the former rival of Doctor Drakken. "Are you sure it was the right thing to do to come here just to distract me?" she asked, dusting her knees. "If you didn't do that, then I suppose you and your henchmen would be on your way back to headquarter with the loot you've stolen."

"I have half the mind to laser that petty mouth of yours, Kim Possible!" Dementor said in annoyance, turning the laser around with an effort and aiming it at the redhead. "But you do have a point now that I think about it," the professor admitted, momentarily distracted from what he was supposed to do. "If I did forego this distraction, my henchmen and I would most likely be on our way out of the city." He rubbed his chin in thought, not noticing that the teen hero was rolling her eyes at him.

"Regret does last a long time," Kim remarked, sprinting forward with her fists raised before her. "I'd tell you though that it's a bit too late to gloat over a decision you've already made!" As the ringing sound amplified, Kim's uppercut connected solidly with the criminal's jaw as her foot sank into the soft flesh of the small man's belly. As Dementor staggered back, Kim first heard then saw the approach of a large jet filled with the professor's henchmen.

"Retreat with the loot!" Dementor shouted as he pressed a few more buttons on the laser weapon. "You should have knocked me off the roof when you had the chance!" he told the redhead with a maniacal grin. "I've already locked the laser onto your heat signature and it won't stop firing until you're burnt to a crisp!" He grabbed hold of a rope ladder dangling down from his jet and signaled for his men to pull him up. "Until we meet again Kim Possible!" Dementor bade her goodbye as the rope ladder pulled away from the building.

"I don't think so!" Kim muttered under her breath as she threw her body to the right just as a deadly beam sliced through the space she just stood in. Sprinting forward and dodging the onslaught of laser beams, Kim made her way to the edge of the roof. Leaping onto the low barrier, the redhead propelled herself forward and off the roof and managed to grab onto the last rung on the rope ladder.

"Cut the ropes!" One of the henchmen shouted.

"No you idiots!" Dementor barked up at them. "Not when I'm still on the ladder!"

Kim hid a smile of amusement as she scrambled up the ladder, catching up quickly to the Professor who was already pulling himself into the jet. Another laser beam singed the edge of her jeans while the rest of it cut through the ladder below her. "Oh come on! I just bought these jeans!" she growled, grabbing hold of the edge of the jet and pulling herself inside. Not wasting any time, Kim began her tussle with the five henchmen who all simultaneously lunged at her. Ducking and rolling out of the way, the men's heads smashed together before they sprawled out on the small floor. The redhead got back on her feet and looked out of the hatch. "Wait for it," she murmured, eying the laser weapon on the roof. "Time to bail!" She dove out of the jet just as the machine blasted a laser beam at the jet. As the aircraft exploded and burst into flames, Kim safely landed on an extended awning, bouncing a few times before sliding off its edge and onto the firm ground.

"Kim! Are you alright?" Ron shouted as Dementor and his men flew out of the burning jet with their jetpacks. "They're escaping with the stolen goods!" he exclaimed just as the just as the jet exploded and showered them with dangerous metal debris. One particular chunk of metal embedded itself in Dementor's laser weapon causing it to spark and burst into flame. "I don't like the looks of this!" 

Ron stated. "It's going haywire! Head for cover!" he yelled, Tai into another alleyway while Kim followed suit.

"Sis! I'm scared!" Vaughn cried out, trembling in the middle of the road. Like Ron, he ran out of the store to check what was happening outside. Apparently, the whole spectacle was too much for him and now he was frozen in fear.

Tai struggled to get out of Ron's hold. "Vaughn! Come here!" she yelled.

"I can't move!" Tears streamed down the boy's ashen cheeks. "Help me!"

Tai looked desperately at the redhead who had stopped in her tracks. "Kim! My brother!"

"I'm on it!" Kim replied, swiftly turning around and readying herself for the mad sprint. Before her feet could start moving, she heard the familiar ringing sound emanating from the laser and felt her heart beat freeze. _I won't make it! _ she thought just as the roar of a motorcycle's engines filled her ears.

As the laser blasted a deadly beam, the disguised Shego came roaring out from around the corner and speeded towards the frozen child. She managed to scoop the youngster out of harm's way just as the laser beam made contact with the road. Whipping out her automatic Beretta gun, Shego took aim at the malfunctioning weapon and unloaded a barrage of bullets at it until it finally exploded. Seeing that everything was fine, the villainess sharply turned her bike and gripped the brake handle hard, sending the bike to a skidding halt.

The redhead let out a relieved sigh as she and Tai jogged over to where her protector stood, avoiding the burning debris littering the road. Tai beat her in a run and took her younger brother from the racing suit-clad woman.

"Don't ever do that again!" Tai scolded, her voice shaking as she hugged the tearing boy. "You don't just run outside when there's a battle going on!" Vaughn could not speak so he continued to bawl into his older sister's chest. "There, there," she cooed, carrying the boy over to the sidewalk and sitting down on the ground. "Stop crying already."

When her friend and her brother were out of earshot, Kim marched up to Shego and glared hard at her. "I told you not to follow me today," she hissed, feeling contradictory feelings within her.

Shego blinked at her charge then returned the glare with a smoldering glare of her own. "Excuse me?! If I didn't disobey your orders and disregarded my duty to protect you, then that kid would be just a pile of ash now!" she said angrily.

"I would have been able to save him if you didn't show up!" Kim retorted. Why was she arguing with Shego anyway? She should be thanking her for saving Vaughn from getting burned to a crisp.

Shego threw up her arms in exasperation. "Well sorry if I rained down on your parade, _princess,"_ she told the shorter girl in sarcasm and in irritation. "I didn't realize that you cared so much about the recognition you get from saving defenseless kids!" Revving her bike's engines, Shego hastily fixed the collar of her leather jacket then gripped the handlebars. "I know when I'm not wanted," she growled to Kim before racing down the road and swerving into a nearby street.

Kim frowned deeply as she struggled to control the conflicting emotions within her. There was no reason for her to pick a fight with her protector. Shego was just doing her job and helping her out in a since she was in a pinch. How was she going to face her later on at her apartment?

"Kim!" Ron trotted over to his girlfriend and gathered her up in his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking Kim over for any injuries. "Who was that?" He looked down the road the biker had taken. "Some good Samaritan who happened to be in the area?"

The auburn-haired girl shook her head and pulled away from Ron. "Probably," she replied absently as thoughts raced through her head. "Ron, can you take care of things here?" she asked. "The police should be getting here any minute now and I thought I saw one of Professor Dementor's henchmen drop a sack while they were escaping." The distant sounds of sirens grew louder and louder. "Will you do it?"

Ron nodded his head. "I'll take care of things here then." He swiftly pecked Kim on her lips before striding off in the opposite direction.

While Ron waited for the police to arrive, Kim ran down the street and headed towards the area where she thought she saw the sack drop from the air. If she was right, the sack would contain all or perhaps just part of the stolen stones and jewels from the convention Professor Dementor's men raided. It took her a few minutes to arrive at the place, but when she did, she was already beaten to it by a large group of cameramen and reporters. There was also a lone police cruiser parked on the street and two policemen surrounded by the media. One of the men held an opened sack filled with an assortment of jewels while the other man tried his best to answer the questions of the reporters.

"Our chief and the rest of our unit are at the crime scene right now," one policeman explained, flinching at the bright flashes coming from the cameras. "If you want to get details, then we suggest that you head over there now before they head off. We're only here to retrieve the stolen jewels and return them to its owners."

Now was the time for Kim to sneak away before the media spotted her. She had a feeling that they were going to bombard her with questions if she got caught by them. She slowly walked backwards, hoping that none of the reporters would spot her. Unfortunately, it was the policeman who spotted her first.

"Miss Possible! If you're looking for the jewels, we already got them!" He waved at the redhead.

"Kim Possible!" One reporter exclaimed and pushed his way out of the crowd to get to the renowned crime fighter. "Can you answer some of our questions?"

"Is it true that Professor Dementor was behind this crime?" A female reporter raised her voice to be heard over the group of media people's noise.

"How about the word that a little boy was killed?" Another reporter asked.

Kim backed away and thought about whether to say and answer their questions. "Ummm…" she started as the group of reporters came closer and closer. She certainly didn't want to stay long enough to find out if she was going to escape their questioning alive. "Sorry! I've got to go and… follow Professor Dementor," she lied, turning on her heel and sprinting in the opposite direction.

"Wait!"

The redhead cursed silently as she ran away from the news reporters. She had already ran down the length of two streets, when she realized that the reporters were still pursuing her. Some of them were chasing after her on their feet the others were in vans. She turned right on another street and looked over her shoulder to check if she would be followed. Suddenly, two arms snapped out of the mouth of narrow alleyway, grabbed the teen hero and dragged her into its dark confines. Kim struggled against her captor's hold and opened her mouth to scream when a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Will you keep quiet?" A familiar voice whispered harshly at her. "They'll figure out that you're in here and we'll be trapped if they find us!" Shego slowly retracted her hand and pulled Kim into a tight niche formed by two buildings that stood side by side. "Stay still and not a sound!" the villainess ordered, pressing Kim against her chest.

Kim struggled to breathe not because of the tightness of the space she was in, but because of her extreme closeness to Shego. In that small niche, she was pinned against Shego's body in such a close manner that their torsos were practically in contact with each other. The auburn-haired girl could not figure out whether the frantic beating she felt and heard was her own heartbeat or the heartbeat of her protector. Trying to control her emotions, Kim did as she was told and waited quietly until the motorcade of reporters passed the alleyway.

As soon as she felt that the coast was clear, Shego pushed Kim out of the tight niche before getting out herself. "This just great," Shego muttered, dusting the front of her jacket while Kim stared at her. "These reporters are pretty much going to be like your own set of paparazzi, Kimmie," she told the girl. "I can't risk having them following you back to my home and sooner or later they're going to end up doing that. These reporters are starting to pry too much in your business especially since Balken Steel appeared and I doubt they'll be letting up any time soon."

Kim took in a deep breath. "What do you suggest then?" she asked, forgetting her previous anger with the villainess.

Shego reached up and zipped down the collar of her jacket. "We should lay low for a while," she replied, gently running her fingers over her cheek. "Head out of the city for a while until things die down enough for us to return," she continued.

"But where and for how long?" Kim asked, making her way to the mouth of the alley and sticking her head out to check if the coast was indeed clear.

"It might be best if we left for the duration of your Christmas vacation," Shego replied. "As for where we'll be going, there's an old friend who will surely accommodate us for a month or so." Shego walked deeper into the alley and kicked some empty cardboard boxes away, which hid her bike.

Kim frowned. "But I have plans for the Christmas vacation!" Kim complained, walking back into the alley and standing in front of the taller woman. "Can't we just head over to Middleton?" she asked. If they decided to lay low in her hometown, then she would be able to spend time with Ron.

Shego shook her head. "Princess, that's the first place they'll look if they can't find you here in Go City," she reminded the younger girl. "We need to head out of the country and we should probably head to the airport now."

"What about our clothes?"

The villainess ignited her engines. "If we head back to my apartment, we risk being spotted. Seriously Kimmie! That red hair of yours can be spotted from thousands of miles away!" Shego beckoned the teen hero to hop on. "Don't worry about clothes, Kimmie," she told her charge in a more patient tone. "It's easy enough to get a full wardrobe in the place we're going to." She waited as the redhead sank behind her on the bike.

"Where are we going then?"

Shego maneuvered the bike out of the alley and gunned the gas hard. "To London."

* * *

The sun was rising on the horizon as the morning fog rolled into the waking city of London. A large digital clock hanging overhead in the airport's arrival section told the newly arrived travelers the time. It was half past seven and after eight hours of staying inside a crowded airbus, Shego was more than ready to snap at the next person who asks if her green skin was a sign of her nausea.

"Calm down, Shego," Kim told the older woman in a weary voice. She too was feeling quite tired after the long flight and the previous day's activities. "They don't know any better and they certainly have no idea that they're actually talking to an infamous criminal."

"Why do they always have to attach motion sickness to the color of my skin," Shego muttered, pulling up the collar of her jacket to shield her neck and face from the cold. "Come on. There should be a car rental in the area." She led Kim out of the airport and asked an elderly man for some directions. "I wish I could have taken my bike with me," she murmured.

Kim shook her head. "You love that bike too much and if you really want to ride a bike while we're here, then why not just rent one?" She followed Shego down the street and into a large car rental store. The parking lot boasted a variety of cars and motorcycles of different brands and models.

The ex-hero shook her head. "It rains often around here and at this time of the year, it's either rain, snow or plain cold weather," she told Kim. "Better to drive around in a car, protected by the elements instead of being exposed to them on a motorcycle." She pushed the door open and nodded a greeting to the cashier. "Got any nice sports cars that we could rent?"

"Quite a lot," the man replied, covering a yawn with his hand. "Do you have a particular model or car brand in mind?"

Ten minutes later, Kim found herself waving to the car rental attendant from the passenger seat of a Black Mazda RX-8 as Shego drove out of the parking lot and headed into the city. She wanted to ask Shego how much she was paying to rent such a nice car, but decided not to when the villainess casually handed her credit card to the attendant. The thought of Shego stealing the car instead of renting it lingered at the back of her head, but she quickly shook it off. "So where does this old friend of yours live?"

"Knightsbridge," Shego answered, glancing at the side mirrors before switching lanes. Even at this time of the morning, there was already some traffic. "Well, that's what I remember from six years ago," she added.

"Six years ago?!" Kim exclaimed. "Are you even sure that your friend is still living there?" she demanded. "And isn't Knightsbridge the part of London where the social elite reside in?" She was starting to wonder what kind of friend this old friend of Shego's was.

The villainess frowned, but continued to keep her eyes on the road before her. "I didn't really have time to contact him and yes I'm assuming he still lives there!" she told her charge. "Now stop asking questions and just enjoy the ride! You're distracting me! The car rental guy said that it'll take us around thirty minutes to get to Knightsbridge if we follow his directions. Why don't you take a nap?"

Kim wanted to argue some more with the raven-haired woman, but decided to take the suggestion. She was rather tired and a thirty-minute nap wouldn't be so bad. Reclining the seat, Kim leaned back and made herself comfortable before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. She awoke to a hand gently shaking her awake almost an hour later. "Are we here?"

Shego nodded and opened her car door. "This should be the place," she announced.

The redhead took off her seatbelt and stepped out of the vehicle only to goggle at the sight before her. "This is where your friend lives?" Her jaw dropped as she approached the large gates separating them from estate. "It's huge! How rich is this friend of yours anyway?" Kim peered through the wrought steel gates and made out a four-storey mansion at the distance that was surrounded by expansive gardens and a few other buildings.

"Quite rich obviously," Shego answered, walking towards a telecom device attached to a post. With one gloved hand, Shego pressed a button she assumed was the doorbell and waited. Half a minute had gone by when Shego pressed the button a few more times while Kim continued to gape at the estate. "How long does it take to answer anyway?" Shego growled, raising her finger once more to press the button. Suddenly, there was a crackle and the sound of a voice clearing his throat on the telecom's speaker.

"_Good morning. May I help you?"_ A polite male voice greeted from the speaker.

Shego smirked, pressed her hand against the post and leaned forward to speak into the device. "Does the wallflower still live here?" she asked, making a face at Kim who had slapped her arm.

"Shego!" Kim scolded.

"What? I didn't mean anything bad by it and he really is a wallflower or was one back then!" The villainess argued in defense of herself.

There were a few moments of silence before the voice came back on. _"Seven years have gone by, but I most certainly still recognize that sardonic voice,"_ the man's voice sounded amused on the speaker. _"Can that possibly be you, Miss Shannon?"_

Once again, Kim goggled but this time at Shego. So her protector was right all along. Whoever lived at this house must have known Shego back when she was still younger and when most people still knew her by her real name. Kim eyed the small smile forming on Shego's lips. It definitely must be a good friend of hers if she was this happy.

"Hello Antonio," Shego greeted. "I know it's early and quite abrupt, but do you think you could arrange an audience with your master for me?" she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Master?" Kim demanded, intrigued by what was happening.

The man Shego named as Antonio chuckled deeply. _"I assume this is of great importance since you appeared at our doorstep so suddenly." _There was a pause. _"You're in luck. Your wallflower is already awake. I'll open the gates and prepare some breakfast for you and your companion."_ At the end of his sentence, there was a loud beep and the gates slowly swung open. _"Just leave your vehicle at the front door and one of the servants will park it."_

"We'll do that," Shego replied, stepping away from the device and heading back to the rented vehicle. "Don't just stand there princess! I'd like for us to be safe inside that mansion before the skies open up." She looked up into the dark and cloudy skies then boarded the car.

"Shego, who-"

"You'll find out soon enough, Kimmie," the villainess cut her off as she drove the car through the opened gates and towards the mansion. As she parked the car at the front, a man in a long-sleeved white polo, black vest and black pants came out from a side door and waited for them to get out.

"I'll park it for you ladies," he told them politely, holding the car door open for Shego then running around to hold the other car door open for Kim. "Antonio has already unlocked the door and says that the master is at the music room."

Shego stuffed her hands into her jacket's pockets and nodded her thanks. "Come along now Kimmie," she told her charge, leading the way up the stairs. Placing her gloved hands on the great wooden doors, Shego pushed them open and admitted them into the fully furnished and brightly lit main room of the mansion.

"So where's the music room?" Kim asked as she admired the fine interior of the mansion.

Shego stopped in the middle of the room and listened. "Just follow that sound," she told the redhead, as the soulful sounds of a stringed instrument filled the air. Shego led the way deeper into the mansion, following her ears as the music became louder and louder. Finally, they reached a large room that opened up to a sprawling garden and was at the center of what looked to be a collection of rooms. To the north was a patio and the garden, the west was a library and a study while the east was a sound proofed room filled with instruments and the like. Glass sliding doors were open and allowed the sweet music to escape the confines of the room.

Kim peeked around Shego and observed the figure seated on a cushioned stool with his back facing them. The stringed instrument turned out to be a cello that was being played by the young man who seemed to be engrossed in his music playing. Kim was about to ask Shego if they should bother him, but could only stare in shock when her protector grabbed a throw pillow from a nearby couch and hurled it at the man's head.

"You're still playing that thing until now?" Shego called out as the pillow connected with the man's head and the music stopped. "And you're still playing gloomy songs!" she added, crossing her arms over her chest as the young man twisted around in his seat and stared at the raven-haired woman in shock. "I was somewhat hoping that the wallflower had grown into something else."

The young man stood from his chair and carefully placed his cello on its stand before turning around and walking into the central room. He was a tall man, almost six feet in height and had a wiry frame. He wore a plain white t-shirt and black cloth pants that looked like it was used for sleeping purposes. To Kim's amusement, the young adult walked around barefoot in his home. Like Shego, he had sable-black hair that fell just below his earlobes and was parted at the side. Sleep may have been the cause of his rumpled and tussled hairstyle, but to Shego it was as ordinary as it was seven years ago. He was pale-skinned and was quite handsome with his sharp facial features and blue-gray eyes. There was also something in his demeanor that gave off a gloomy feeling and his eyes were seemingly fathomless as he cocked his head and observed the villainess who stood before him.

"Must you always look so gloomy?" Shego asked, shaking her head ruefully. "I thought that I got that out of you years ago!" Her emerald green eyes twinkled as she walked forward with her arms wide open. "Come on now! Where's that killer smile of yours Enzo?" She embraced the taller man and let herself be swung around in a circle before being set down on her feet.

"What killer smile?" The man named Enzo asked in a deep baritone voice, lips curling in a charming smile.

"The one that's on your face, wallflower!" Shego reached out and roughly ruffled the man's hair.

Enzo laughed and pulled away from his friend. "Shannon, you haven't changed a bit," he told Shego. "Must you still use that nickname on me? I assure you though that I'm not that same college student you knew years ago."

"You mean you're not a loner anymore?" Shego teased, looking over her shoulder when she saw that her friend had spotted her companion. "Before I tell you why we're here at your home, let me introduce you to someone." She hooked their arms together and dragged the blue-eyed man over to Kim. "Kim Possible, this is Lorenzo Sinclair or Enzo for short," she introduced her charge to her friend who offered his hand. "Enzo, this is Kim Possible."

Enzo bowed his head slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Possible," he greeted politely.

"Kim's just fine," the redhead said, obviously charmed by the older man.

"Alright then, Kim," Enzo tried. "Now, can you tell me how you ended up in such bad company?" His eyes flicked over at Shego.

"Hey! Since when have you classified me as bad company, buster?" Shego demanded, punching the man hard on his arm.

Enzo flinched in pain and rubbed his afflicted arm. "Since I ended up becoming friends with you," he replied, sincerity in his voice. Before Shego could voice out her protest, the cellist turned his attention to Kim. "Anyway, what I mostly meant by that question is why a renowned crime fighter is in the company of her arch nemesis," he explained, ignoring the dagger-like looks Shego was throwing at him.

Kim grinned at how this man was able to withstand the personality of Shego so easily. "It's a long story actually and I think Shego should be the one to explain it," she replied.

"Why not do the explaining over some breakfast?" A man with graying hair and dressed in a suit approached them. "I've already brewed the coffee that Miss Shannon likes so much," he added, gesturing for them to follow him.

Shego let out a long sigh and smiled at the man. "You're a lifesaver, Antonio! I could do with some caffeine in my system!" She walked around Kim and Enzo to clap the man on his shoulder. "So have you been keeping an eye out on our wallflower?" she asked, jerking her head at the blue-eyed man.

Antonio nodded his head. "I've been doing my best, but I'm apparently not as good as you were," he admitted. "I would like to think that he has changed for the better over the years."

As Shego and Antonio walked ahead, Kim followed Enzo who shook his head ruefully. "You seem to be good friends with Shego," she pointed out, curious about the relationship her protector and this man had.

"Indeed," Enzo replied. "I would tell you the whole story, but you'll have to get Shannon's approval first." He winked at Kim. "You probably know how she is when it comes to talking about her past," he added as they entered a large dining room. As they settled themselves on one end of the long dining table, Shego shed her leather coat and let Antonio take it from her. "So tell me. What brings you here to my home?"

"What if I tell you that I'm in dire need of a vacation?" Shego asked, wincing when a sharp elbow connected with her ribs.

Kim glared at her protector before throwing an apologetic smile at Enzo. "Shego thought that this was the best place to lay low for a while," Kim started. She then began to explain how Shego had been assigned to become her protector, the situation with Balken Steel and how she was living in the villainess' apartment for safety and security reasons. She then explained in detail the events that transpired the other day and how Shego had come up with the decision that they needed to law low for the holiday season and let the hullabaloo die down.

"I see," Enzo murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. "Well, you don't need to worry about anything," he told them. "You're both welcome to reside in my home for as long as you want. As for your concerns about clothes, I could ask the housekeeper to head to the shopping district and purchase some clothing for you." To Antonio, he asked, "What do you think?"

The head servant and guardian of Enzo nodded his head with approval. "That would be a good idea especially since Miss Shannon and Miss Possible came here with the plan to lay low," he said. "I'll inform the housekeeper right now." He headed out of the dining room to do his master's bidding.

"Are you a duke of some sort?" Kim blurted out.

Enzo shook his head while Shego guffawed in reaction to Kim's question. "I'm not a duke, but my father has some British noble blood in him," he told the blushing redhead. "Why are you asking?"

"Oh… Well, the house and the servants…" Kim stammered, knowing that she was probably turning into three shades of red at that very moment.

This time, Shego had to press her face against the table to control her laughter. She was definitely amused at how her charge was taking things in. When she finally mastered herself, Shego straightened and looked at the frowning Kim. "Don't take it too personally, princess," she told the girl. "But you've been watching too many 'Princess Diaries-like' movies."

"Or you could say that this is quite similar to the Batman series," Enzo joked, making Shego laugh some more. "The typical rich guy living in a big mansion with a butler-slash-guardian keeping me company," he enumerated. "The only thing missing of course is the superhero part," he added with a grin. "The house and servants all come from my wealthy parents," he explained to Kim. "After I had finished my studies in the United States of America, I moved back here to London and settled in this very house, which my parents purchased and furnished." His shoulder drooped as he let out a long sigh. "Not that I hate it or anything, but I certainly could have found a place on my own."

Shego cleared her throat. "You're the heir of a multi-billion dollar corporation," she reminded her friend. "What do you expect?"

"I expect to be given the freedom to make my own choices," Enzo told them gravely. "Things were simpler back when I was still a student at university. No one knew who I was."

"And that's why you were such an easy target for the bullies on campus," Shego retorted, refilling her cup with coffee.

"So you were college buddies?" Kim asked.

Enzo and Shego looked at each other before nodding to Kim. "You could say that," Enzo said. "I transferred to Go University during my junior year and got to know Shannon through the hazing," he explained.

"How'd you meet her?" Kim leaned forward in her seat, catching the warning look that Shego shot at Enzo from her own seat.

"To put it simply," Enzo started, ignoring Shego's protest. "She saved my butt and restructured my life."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**I know, it's been what? Almost three weeks since I last updated? I've been really busy in school unfortunately. Papers, projects and exams started to pile up so I had to put the story on hold while I focused on my academic life. **_

_**Anyway, in this chapter I introduced a new character. You won't find out much about him yet, but you'll certainly learn how he and Shego knew each other in the next chapter. Don't worry, he's not a threat to Kim and Shego's future relationship. Hahaha! **_


	11. Reminiscing

_Chapter 10: "Reminiscing"_

* * *

_Seven years ago…_

* * *

"Where to next?"

"One of the frat houses on the east side of the campus is throwing a party," a girl replied from her seat in the back of a car. "Want to check it out?" The girl leaned around her friend and looked at the pale-green skinned girl she shared the backseat with. "What do you think, Shannon?"

The girl named Shannon shrugged her shoulders and boringly looked out of the window. "We just came from two parties," she said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone of voice. "What makes you think that this frat party that you want to go to won't be the same as the ones we just attended earlier this evening?"

"Well obviously this frat has the good looking boys!" the girl replied ecstatically.

Shannon rolled her emerald green eyes and slumped deeper into her seat. Her junior year at Go University had just started and she still couldn't believe how she got dragged into this particular situation. Things were going well for her anyway especially since the university population was more or less used to seeing a green-skinned superhero roaming around in the campus. She and her brothers had been ordinary citizens of Go City until that rainbow-colored comet crashed into their tree house almost five years earlier. "Please," she let out with sarcasm. "You almost always think about boys and you've been flirting with every single guy you've met this evening!"

"But it's fun!" she said dreamily, obviously not affected by her companion's remark.

"Fine! Have it your way," Shannon muttered. "I could always raid their bar anyway." The hero had no idea why she allowed herself to be dragged out of her dormitory room by this group of girls. They were her friends, but she couldn't exactly say that they were her good friends. Some of them shared the same dormitory while the others she had similar classes with, but their relationship went no deeper than what it was. Shannon even somewhat believed that these girls were using her reputation as a superhero to boost their own reputations.

"At least Keana is preoccupied with something as ordinary as boys," the other girl who sat in the passenger seat commented. "I really don't know how you're able to do superhero stuff and get straight A's in all your classes when you're such a slacker!"

The only female from Go City's Team Go shrugged her shoulders once more and chose not to bring up an argument. What the girl said was true anyway. Shego did get straight A's, but never really studied or paid much attention in any of her classes. She did not have the time to study anyway with the work she does with her brothers. Not only was she considered as a no-effort intellectual, but she was also part of the so-called popular crowd of the university. Of course, she didn't really give a damn if she was popular or not.

"We're here!" the driver announced, parking right in front of a large house bursting with people.

"Oiii…" Shego murmured as she got out of the car and stared disdainfully at the crowded house. "Too many people," she told her friends. "I think I'll stay out here."

"Oh come on Shannon!" Keana hooked their arms together and dragged the raven-haired woman towards the front door. "Don't be such a kill-joy! Let's just go inside and have some fun!" she said cheerfully, winking at a couple of boys who lounged by the front door.

"Whatever," Shannon muttered and let herself be led into the house. Loud music deafened her ears as dancing bodies hit her on all sides as they cut across the main room. Halfway across the floor, she felt Keana's hand release her arm and she knew that she was on her own from that moment onwards. Fixing a bored look on her face, the green-hued hero pushed her way out of the crowd until she reached the makeshift bar manned by three college boys. "What drinks do you have on you?" she had to yell over the blare of the sound system that was positioned right beside the bar.

"Name it and we have it!" one of the boys slurred, raising a half-empty glass of beer into the air.

Shannon faked a smile at the bartender and stuffed her hands into her jeans' pockets. "Got any Vodka?" she asked, stepping out of the way in time as a boy stumbled and fell face first onto the floor.

"What kind do you want?" the bartender asked.

"Do you have Smirnoff by any chance?" Shannon let out a cough as a wave of cigarette smoke entered her nostrils. It wasn't just cigarette smoke that she was smelling and she was sure that she could make out small traces of weed in the air.

"Sure do!" The drunken boy brought out a bottle of the requested Vodka and placed it on top of the bar. "A glass?" he asked, elbowing his companion to serve the other people who had come to the bar for drinks.

Shannon shook her head. "The bottle will do," she replied, taking the vodka and nodding her thanks. Turning back around, the hero furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to figure out a way to get back outside without cutting through the dance floor. She was in luck; a nearby window large enough for her to fit through looked like it would lead her out to the backyard. Holding the bottle in one hand, the raven-haired woman made her way to the window, pulled it open and vaulted out onto the grass outside. Shannon took in a deep breath and released it. The air was definitely easier to breathe compared to the one inside. Walking to the road, the young woman settled herself on the sidewalk and twisted the cap off her bottle of vodka. "Once I finish this, I'll walk back to the dormitory. I've had enough of parties," Shannon told herself as she took a gulp of the alcoholic beverage.

There were a lot of things going on in her mind and most of them were rather complicated matters. With the superhero business flourishing, she wondered if she should just drop out of school. She and her brothers had a stable income from their crime-fighting activities and both her parents were wealthy. There was also the other fact that she still had no idea why she decided to major in education. She wasn't exactly the type of person to go into teaching and her own family also wondered why she had taken the course. "Being a superhero fulltime?" she wondered aloud, swirling the remaining liquid in the bottle. "I'd rather not," she muttered. "Having Hector as leader is already bad enough already, but having him boss you around every single day? No way…"

"Shit man! You ruined my shirt!" A male voice shouted from across the street.

"I apologize, but you were the one who ran into me," another male's baritone voice said.

"What'd you say?" the man demanded. "You're the one who bumped me and made me spill my drink!" There was a loud thud that sounded like a body hitting the pavement. "What do you say now mister fancy pants?" The boy laughed along with his group of friends.

"Nothing," the victim replied. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

"Hold on! You think you're going to get away that easily? You have to pay for my ruined shirt!"

Shannon listened in on the conversation and was thinking about leaving already. At the back of her head, she thought that the victim of this group should be sensible enough to just give in to the demands of these bullies and escape without a bruise.

"Pay? One go at the washing machine would make it brand new," the man with the baritone voice replied absently.

"Oh boy," Shego murmured, squinting through the darkness to get a better look at the group of bullies and their victim. "He just asked for it. Not to mention, that tone of voice he's using is sure to sound insulting." Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could make out four men standing across the street. She felt her lips tighten as one man viciously punched the face of the man she assumed to be the victim.

"If I say you have to pay, then you pay!" the boy yelled, kicking at the other man's stomach. As the victimized fellow fell to the ground, all three men surrounded him and began their beating.

Shannon had enough. Getting to her feet, she gulped down the remains of her vodka and threw the bottle at the three men, which shattered noisily a few feet away from them. "Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked, disinterest in her voice. "He hardly said or did anything to insult you." She walked towards the group with her hands snuggly in her pocket. She knew what to do if they decided to get violent with her.

The instigator of the fight glared at her with bloodshot eyes. From the smell, Shannon could tell that not only was he inebriated, but also high on drugs. "I'll do what I want, bitch!" he shouted, waving a fist at her before delivering another kick at the fallen man's stomach. "You better run off if you don't want to end up like this guy!" He took an empty beer bottle from his friend and raised it in the air to hit his quarry when there was suddenly a flash of green and the bottle in his hand shattered. He turned his head and stared in both fear and shock as the face of the woman he just threatened became clearer by the green energy collecting around her raised hand, which illuminated her face.

"I wouldn't mind a tussle," Shannon said with a wicked grin. "I'd certainly enjoy the thrill of it, but I'm not so sure if you'd like how it would turn out." She urged more energy into her fist and threw a deadly ball of green at the group of men who scrambled away and avoided the attack. "Still interested?" She raised her eyebrows at the stunned men and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take your silence as a yes then." Raising her other hand, she brought it aflame and made a move to throw more balls of green plasma at the bullies, but ended up staying still as the cowards made a run for it. "No fun at all," she muttered, walking over to the keeled over young man. "Anything broken?" she asked, extinguishing the collected energy in her hands as the young man pushed himself up and wearily sat down on the curb.

"I don't believe so," he replied sullenly as he dabbed his fingers at his bleeding nose. Under the lamplight, Shannon could now see that the young man before her had sable-black hair, deep sleepy blue-gray eyes and a well-chiseled face. Blood seeped out from the side of his lips, dripping onto his pristine white button-down shirt. His jeans were slightly dirty from the tussle, but otherwise he seemed alright. "I just feel a bit woozy from that punch to my face and the kicks to my gut," he admitted, looking up at his savior. "My thanks." He bowed his head to the young woman before him, got to his feet and stumbled down the street.

"Where do you think are you going?" Shannon asked, amused with this listless character.

The injured man didn't even bother to look behind him as he dizzily made his way down the street. "Where I should have been going if those drunken guys didn't bump into me," he replied tiredly. "I'm going back to my dormitory," he told the hero.

Shannon let out a breath and strode forward to catch up with the blue-eyed man. "Mind if I tagged along?" she asked as she looked over the young man's injuries. "I'd rather not go back to that party and it would probably be a good idea if I accompanied you back to your dormitory." Her companion could only groan in reply as she took his arm and laid it around her shoulders. "I'll take that as a yes then," she told him, helping him along. It took them fifteen minutes of walking when the injured man pointed out a small two-floor dormitory. "Will I be allowed in there?"

The sable-haired man nodded his head. "Everyone's asleep anyway and the dormitory master doesn't really give a damn about outsiders," he explained, pointing at the back door. "Head through that door," he told the green-skinned woman. "It's closer to my room."

The hero nodded her head, twisted the doorknob and nudged the door open with her foot. From the looks of it, the room they had just entered looked to be a cafeteria. With the directions of her companion, Shannon helped the boy down a hallway and into a room with the number eleven on the door. Fumbling at the wall, her hands found the light switch and flipped it up. She helped the young man sit on his bed while she subtly observed the room. It was sparse containing only a simple study desk, a queen-sized bed and a small bathroom. At one corner of the room stood a large black cello case, it's shiny black surface catching Shannon's eyes. "Got a first aid kit?" She walked over to the pointed at desk and took the white box back to the young man.

As she tended to his injuries, the gloomy-looking man observed the woman who had saved him. "You look familiar," he finally said, wincing as the green-eyed woman dabbed at a cut on his face.

"What makes you say that?" Shannon asked absently, taking a adhesive bandage from the kit and putting it on the afflicted area of the man's face. Did he always look so gloomy, she wondered as she looked into those somber blue-gray eyes. "Ah don't tell me. You saw me on TV along with my freaks of nature brothers of mine," she said sarcastically. "No?" She looked at him quizzically when he shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm not very updated with the news," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "I saw you a few days ago at that auto shop just outside the campus."

"Are you sure you don't recognize me because of the things I do that are caught on the tube?" she asked, intrigued that she was actually talking to someone who had no idea who she actually was.

The man shrugged. "Someone special?" he guessed and pointed at her hands. "You do manage to call green fire to your hands and are able to use it as a weapon."

Shannon shook her head and smirked. "You're quite a dense guy huh?" she chuckled, putting the first aid kit away, pulling a chair over and sitting on it. "I'm Shego of Team Go," she introduced herself, sticking her hand out in the process. "We're something like the official superheroes and crime fighters of Go City," she explained, noting the blank expression on the man's face. "Of course when I'm off duty, I'm just known as Shannon Go," she added.

"Nice to meet you then Shannon," he told her with a smile. "I'm Lorenzo Sinclair, but people usually call me Lorenzo." He ran his fingers through his tussled hair and looked down at his bloodied shirt with a frown.

"You're way too formal," Shannon told her newfound friend. "How about I shorten your name and call you Enzo instead?" She misinterpreted the shocked look on his face. "Hey if you don't like it then-"

"No," he interrupted with a shake of his head. "Enzo is fine," he assured her. "It will take some getting used to though," he admitted ruefully. "Thank you for coming to my aid a while ago," he expressed his gratitude once more.

"I take it that you get bullied often," Shannon guessed, leaning back against the chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "How long have you been here anyway?" she asked.

"A few months?" Enzo calculated. "I moved here from London so that I could get a fresh start," he explained. "About the bullying, well…" he scratched his head. "It wasn't as bad yet when I arrived, but it has been escalating especially with the start of the school year," he admitted. "Tonight was the first time I've been beaten though."

"Not meaning it as an insult though, but you make yourself look like an easy target," Shannon pointed out with a frown. "You're too gloomy looking!"

Enzo laughed at the comment. "So being gloomy makes a person into a likely victim for bullies," he clarified with an amused smile. "You need not worry about me. I'm rather used to the treatment and it's an essential part of my character," he assured the superhero. He glanced at his watch and carefully got to his feet. "It's getting late," he began. "Do you need a ride home?"

Shannon shook her head and got to her feet. "Nah, I'll just walk back." She shook her head when Enzo looked like he was about to refuse. "Relax wallflower, no one's going to try to assault a superhero even at this time of the night."

"Wallflower?"

Shannon smiled and headed to the only window in the room. "You look and act like one," she explained, opening the window and pulling a leg over the ledge. "Well at least, I think you act like one," she amended with a wry grin. "See you around, wallflower." She waved once to Enzo before pulling herself through the opened window and disappearing into the night.

* * *

"Now, some philosophers state that feminists are actually marginalizing themselves…"

Shannon yawned and looked out of the second floor window of her classroom. She was having a difficult time paying attention to her philosophy professor and she was already contemplating making her escape. Midterm exams were coming and while most students were getting ready for them, Shannon was doing the opposite… nothing. Nearly two months have gone by since the start of the school year and she had hardly ever opened her textbooks.

"Excuse me class," the professor quickly stepped out of the room to attend to the concerns of a fellow professor.

"Now's my chance," Shannon muttered, sliding the large window open and leaping outside. Very much like a large feline, the raven-haired woman landed on the ground with her knees slightly bent. Not bothering to look up at the mixed looks her classmates were giving her, Shannon ambled down the path not exactly sure where she was heading off to. Despite not wanting to handle her overly bossy older brother, she was actually hoping to be called out on a mission. "It's been too quiet these days," she told herself, nodding greetings to other university students.

She had been walking for quite some time lost in her thoughts when a sad melody played on a stringed instrument reached her ears. Looking around, the superhero realized that she was at Go University's music hall and that the music was coming from an opened window on the second floor. Curious and enamored by the music, the raven-haired woman strode over to a nearby oak tree, whose branches stretched close to the opened window. Jumping up, Shannon grabbed hold of a branch and easily pulled herself up, climbing higher and higher until she was at the same level as the second floor of the building. She made her across a sturdy branch and pulled herself into the practice room only to see that a lone musician played his cello with his back facing her.

"I shouldn't be surprised after seeing a cello case in your room," Shannon began, the sad melody produced by the musician ceasing. "But I'm still surprised that you actually play quite well," she added, walking over to the young man who now looked at her. "Hello Enzo," she greeted, returning his smile. "It's been a while."

"It certainly has been a while," Enzo agreed, settling his arms on the flat surface of his cello's body. "How have you been?" he asked, motioning for her to take a seat on one of the empty chairs in the room. "You're on break?" He put away his bow while Shannon pulled a chair over and plopped down on it.

"Actually, I cut class," she admitted. "I escaped in the middle of my philosophy professor's lecture." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It was getting rather boring and I was about to fall asleep." She leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees. "How long have you been playing?" she asked.

"Since I was eight years old," Enzo replied. "Started out with the smaller cello version since I was still a kid then my parents got me the standard-sized one when I turned thirteen," he explained.

"Do you like playing the cello?"

"Why do you ask?"

Shannon shrugged. "Some people who play instruments were only forced to learn because of their parents," she told him. "Are you the same?"

Enzo shook his head. "My parents did want me to play an instrument, but I was the one who chose which instrument I wanted to learn and play." He ran his fingers through his sable-black hair and returned the gaze of his one-time savior.

"Well that's a good thing I guess," Shannon conceded. "How long have you been in here?"

Enzo thought about it for a few seconds. "Around two hours?" he guessed. "My last class ended early so I headed over here to practice." He shook his head and absently plucked the strings of his cello. 

"The people at my dormitory don't really appreciate the music I make with this so if I want to play, I have to do it here."

"Still being bullied huh?" Shego presumed with a smirk. "And don't you have any friends? You always seem to be alone," she pointed out. "Midterms are coming up and you still haven't made any friends?" she demanded when the blue-eyed man shook his head. "Not only are you a sullen lad, but you're also a loner?" The superhero shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Quite a bad mix."

"I don't make friends easily," Enzo told her.

"You don't look like you've been trying," Shannon accused him. "So the nickname I gave you suits you after all." She locked her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Do you have any plans at all to socialize, wallflower?" she asked.

Enzo sighed as he got to his feet and carried his cello to its case. "It may seem easy for you," he started. "You seem to be quite popular on campus not to mention your being a superhero contributes to your fame. Besides, who'd be interested in becoming friends with a gloomy and stiff guy who spends his free time bonding with his beloved cello and is often the a victim of the bullies in this university?" He carefully stored away his cello and leaned it against the wall.

"The popular superhero and student with green skin and unnatural powers who likes to slack off may be interested," Shannon replied, a serious look on her face. "Look," she began when Enzo gave her a strange look. "You're the first person I've met ever who has treated me so sincerely ever since I enrolled in this university." She poked him on his shoulder. "You're a nice guy or I'd like to believe that you are one and I think you deserve to be treated better," she informed him.

"So what are you suggesting?" Enzo rubbed the shoulder that was poked at.

Shannon let out a disgruntled sigh. "Have you always been this dense?" she demanded irritably despite the amused grin on her face.

"My mother used to mention it a lot," Enzo admitted with a sheepish grin.

"I'm saying that I want to be your friend," Shannon told the young man impatiently. "Aside from that, I want to help you out and change that attitude of yours," she added. "You'll be my project," she joked.

"Sounds like…" Enzo thought about it. "...fun." He exchanged smiles with the green-eyed woman.

"It will be," Shannon assured her friend. "Come on. I've got some ideas already to help you out." She waited for the taller man to grab his encased cello and led him out of the music hall. "Now the first thing I'd like to do is to get rid of that seemingly permanent gloomy look on your face!"

"Do I really look that gloomy to make people shy away from me?" Enzo asked skeptically.

"Yes!"

* * *

The months had gone by fast and it was now autumn season in Go City. Students started to don much warmer clothing with the coming of the cold season. Despite the chilly weather, the students bustled through their activities and excitedly planned for the upcoming sports intramurals. Shannon and Enzo who she now considered as a close friend were aware of the events, but were not as interested as the other students around them.

The months that the superhero and the blue-eyed man spent together did wonders for the latter. He was slowly coming out of his shell and making an effort to be sociable while Shannon continued to coach him from the sidelines. They hung out with each other regularly, often going on walks outside of the campus or hanging out at music hall where Shannon would relax and listen to Enzo's music. The bullying ceased since Enzo was often seen in Shannon's company and eventually the young man was never bothered again even if he was alone.

Some students speculated that something was going on between the famous superhero and the formerly quiet transfer student, but the rumors died down when nothing juicy seemed to be occurring between the two. Enzo felt so comfortable around the super powered woman that he eventually told her the secret he had been keeping since arriving in America.

"You what?" Shannon stared at him from across their table at a nearby restaurant.

Enzo sighed and prepared himself for the long explanation. "I said that I'm not really you think I am," he repeated himself. "I'm actually the heir of a multi-billion corporation in the pharmacology manufacturing business and I've been living a different life since arriving in this country."

Shannon threw her head back in a laugh. "Is this a joke?"

Getting up from his seat and walking to a nearby magazine rack, Enzo selected a magazine and brought it over to his friend. He flipped through a few pages before pushing it towards the raven-haired woman. "Read that," he ordered.

"The Sinclair family is certainly one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in the world. Jasper Sinclair is not only a brilliant businessman but also part of the British nobility. Thea Sinclair on the other hand hails from a family of renowned doctors and also equally as brilliant as her husband," Shannon read the first few lines of the article. "The two have a son by the name of Lorenzo Sinclair who recently transferred from the London University to a university in the United States of America for unstated reasons." She stared at the picture on the next page and goggled at her companion. "So you're a rich kid?" Shannon demanded.

"You make it sound bad," Enzo pointed out. "Yes I'm a rich kid, but I didn't like the way I was living so I moved here so that I could try my hand at living a simpler kind of life where I'm able to make my own choices," he explained. "Not that my parents could do anything about it anyway." He drank from his glass of water and absently tinkered with the silver rectangular earring that hugged most of his earlobe. At the suggestion of the green-skinned woman before him, he had gotten the piercing.

"But you're a rich-ass kid!" Shannon exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other customers around them.

"As I said, is that such a bad thing? Will it change the way you look at me?" he asked her, azure eyes locking with her own emerald green orbs.

Shannon let out a long sigh and shook her head. "No, it won't change the way I see you," she assured her friend. "It's just surprising to hear the truth and it's hard to believe that such a simple guy like you is the heir of a multi-billion corporation."

"I'm simple?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"As simple as dirt," Shannon replied, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

Enzo frowned. "Not quite a delectable way to describe my simplicity," he muttered.

Shannon laughed and called for their check. "By the way, I signed you up for fencing."

The cellist's eyebrows furrowed. "And what gave you the idea to do that?" he demanded.

"Well, I figured that since you're pretty good using that bow of yours to play a cello, you'd also be pretty good at waving a sword around," Shannon enlightened him.

"I don't see the relationship," Enzo replied in a disinterested voice.

"Just trust me and give it a try," the superhero ordered. "Other extracurricular activities should do you some good and fencing should be fun." She took the bill from the waiter and brought out her wallet.

Enzo shook his head and also took out his wallet. "I don't see how poking people with a saber is fun," he complained, paying for half of the bill.

"It's either that or I sign you up for the boxing team," Shannon threatened as they stood and headed back to the university campus. "I'm sure beating each other senseless with you fists would be more appealing to you." She could only grin in amusement as her friend paled and vigorously shook his head at her suggestion.

* * *

Junior year faded into senior year and things were going in opposite directions for the two good friends. Shannon was a shoo in for the magna cum laude award for graduation, but her non-academic life was otherwise. Her relationship with her brothers or teammates was going into a decline particularly the relationship she had with her eldest brother. More often than not, they would end up arguing throughout any mission they were sent out on. The only good thing that came out of the constant bickering with each other was the enjoyment Shannon derived from it. Sure, she was starting to loathe the bossy and idiotic Hego, but she was quite a sadist when it came to their quarrelling. Aside from that, Shannon now preferred to be called by her alias even when she was among her brothers or friends in the university. The only exception of course was Enzo who continued to call her by her real name despite the threats she threw at him.

The so-called rich kid Shego called him by was doing better ever since becoming fast friends with the superhero. Her guess that the cellist would actually have some talent in fencing was right. By the start of their senior year, Enzo had been recruited by the fencing team and was scheduled to participate in an upcoming tournament. The once gloomy wallflower was no more. It was rare to see the young man roaming the campus without an entourage of girls and boys.

Despite his popularity boom, Enzo still tried to make an effort to hang out with his closest friend. He and Shego managed to spend some time with each other be it at the music hall or during short walks to and from classes, but it was clear for the both of them that their time was running short. Crimes in the city were steadily increasing as more and more criminals became bolder and less fearful of Team Go. With the fast arrival of graduation, Enzo knew that sooner or later he was going to be called back to London to handle several important matters with his parents and their business. Aside from that, his extracurricular activities as a fencer and cellist were keeping him busy.

On one of the few occasions he and Shego were spending time with each other, he noticed how weary his friend looked. "Is the crime fighting getting that tiresome?" he asked the green-hued woman as they both relaxed on a lone bench somewhere around the campus.

Shego nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's been the same thing over and over again," she told him. "The same criminals pop out, try to do a crime and my brothers and I get out and save the day," she let out in a huff. "I'm tired of doing the same thing almost every single day and I'm tired of handling three younger lapdog brothers and a particularly overbearing and idiotic older brother."

"That kind of life becoming too rich for your tastes?" Enzo asked.

"You could say that," Shego replied with a dry smile. "I heard that Antonio is in town." She had met the kind servant-slash-guardian of several months ago when he had come to Go City bearing news from Enzo's parents. "What's the occasion?"

Enzo shook his head. "I'm not at all sure, but I'll be finding out tomorrow I suppose." He glanced at his watch and looked up at the darkening skies. "Anyway, there's a party at one of my teammates frat house." He got up to his feet and stood in front of the still-seated superhero. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"

Shego frowned and uncrossed her legs. "I've had enough of parties," she muttered.

"Come on. For old time's sake, let's go together before we graduate and never get to do this kind of thing again," he tried to convince his dearest friend. "I heard that it's going to be a free-flowing drinks party."

"Oh all right, Enzo!" Shego exclaimed as she got to her feet. "You make it look like that I'd agree to do anything for some alcohol," she muttered darkly.

"But you would do anything for a bottle of Smirnoff," Enzo pointed out with a laugh before letting out a cry of pain. "Hey! You don't need to punch me that hard!" He ducked to avoid another blow. "And you don't need to light up those hands of yours!" he yelled, breaking out into a run.

"I'll do whatever I want!" Shego growled, a wicked grin forming on her face as she chased after the escaping cellist.

* * *

It was past four in the morning and the lamplights strewn across the various campus paths were slowly blinking off with the arrival of morning while a figure hunched over and seemingly carrying a burden on his back ambled his way down the road. "You drink too much, you know," Enzo spoke to the woman on his back with a slight slur.

"Yeaaahhh… whatever," Shego hiccupped pressed her face against her friend's back. "You wanted me to drink and party so I did!" Her voice sounded muffled with her face hidden. They remained quiet for the next few minutes of their walk until Shego spoke in a somewhat sobered tone. "You're leaving aren't you?" she asked.

"Leaving where?" Enzo threw the question back, not entirely sure if his charge was sober.

"Antonio's here to bring you back to London," Shego told him. "I'm not stupid. I spotted him lugging some luggage from you dormitory into a car." She rested her chin on Enzo's shoulder and spoke softly into his ear. "I sort of figured that you weren't going to stay for graduation. When are you leaving?"

Enzo sighed, but continued his way down the street. "My flight is early tomorrow morning," he answered. "I was going to tell you," he assured his closest friend. "But then you kept getting away from me during the party and by the time I got my hands on you, you were already wasted." He turned his head slightly to regard the raven-haired woman. "Are you angry?"

Shego shook her head. "Why should I be?"

"I don't know," Enzo replied. "I would have thought that all the preaching I did about wanting to live my own life and breaking away from my parents' control twisted your ear enough to get you be angry with me," he guessed. He shifted Shego's body higher up his back and resettled his grip under Shego's thighs.

"You'll get your freedom eventually," Shego said softly, tightening her arms around her friend. "I think you've spent enough time with me for some of my rebelliousness and free spiritedness to rub off on you." She let out a groan and pressed a hand against her forehead. "God… my head is killing me."

"What about you?" Enzo ignored Shego's complaint. "Are you going to push through with that plan of yours?"

"Yeah. I'd like to try the other side and I need a break from this superhero business."

A smirk formed on Enzo's lips as amusement twinkled in his blue-gray eyes. "You mean you're going to become a villainess so that you could irk Hego mostly." He choked when Shego's arm wrapped around his neck and squeezed. "I was kidding, but seriously Shannon," he called her by her real name. "You do know what will happen to Team Go if you leave?"

"Too bad for them," Shego muttered. "Are you disappointed in me particularly with the decision I've made?" she asked him.

Enzo shook his head as he spotted Shego's dormitory come into view. "As long as you're happy then I have nothing against it," he said with honesty. "We probably won't be able to get to see each other for a while," he informed her in a grave voice. "If you need to find me, I'll most likely be at Knightsbridge in London. Antonio hinted that I was going to reside in that area." He walked up to the front door and glanced over his shoulder to look at Shego. "Are you even listening?" He felt his friend nod her head. "Come on now. I'll bring you up to your room."

* * *

_Present…_

* * *

"Ow! Why'd you have to ram your elbow into my ribs, Shannon?" The blue-eyed man demanded, rubbing his side with one slender hand. His recounting of his and Shego's past as college students became quite lengthy that they had to leave the dining area and transfer to the living room to finish. It was already nearing two in the afternoon when Enzo was abruptly stopped during his storytelling.

Kim frowned at her scowling protector. "What was that for anyway, Shego?" she also demanded. She could not figure it out, but there was something fishy going on between the ex-hero and the heir. If she knew any better, she would have guessed that Shego was intentionally trying to hide something from her.

"I did that so that you could end with this reminiscing nonsense!" Shego retorted. "I'm not into the whole recounting the past kind of thing," she started, aiming a glare at her old friend. "There are some memories that I prefer to be kept a secret," she reminded the sable-haired cellist. "And besides, do you even know what time is it?" The ex-hero got off the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "Or is just my stomach that's been growling?"

Enzo blinked and checked his watch. "I apologize," he told Shego with a bow of his head. "I lost track of time and I also apologize for sharing your memories without your permission."

For a few seconds, Kim caught the Shego and Enzo locking eyes before the former turned away. There was definitely something going on, but she still couldn't guess what it was. "Are you sure that's the end of the story?" She walked beside Enzo as they followed Shego back to the dining room.

"What? Do you want to know about the beginning of my criminal life?" Shego asked in annoyance, rolling her eyes at the redhead.

Kim ignored the irritable older woman and focused her attention on the sable black-haired cellist's face. "Was there anything else?" she asked again, hoping that she would get a clue to what was going on between the two close friends.

Blue-gray eyes momentarily flicked ahead to look at the retreating green-hued woman's back before locking with those jade green orbs. "Well after bringing Shannon home and spending the remainder of the day packing, I headed for London the following morning," he narrated, rubbing his chin in thought. "From what I know, Shego abandoned Team Go and the superhero business as soon as she graduated. After that, she and I never saw or even communicated with each other until the both of you showed up at the gates of my home."

"Oh," Kim let out feeling a little bit disappointed.

Enzo chuckled at the teen hero and patted her on the shoulder. "If you want to know more about Shego, then you should just ask her."

"Don't even bother!" Shego yelled from the dining room. "I'm tired of all this reminiscing crap!"

While Kim rolled her eyes, Enzo shook his head ruefully. "Ah! The sound of her voice warms my blood," he said dreamily although Kim could see that there was mischief in his fathomless blue-gray eyes.

"If you lived with her in the same apartment then that voice of hers would definitely warm your blood enough to make it boil and evaporate," Kim remarked sarcastically. "She makes me so angry sometimes!" she told the ever so patient heir. "I know it's her job to protect me, but it's not part of her job to constantly annoy me!"

"You have to be patient with her," Enzo advised. "And don't take it the wrong way whenever she teases you," he added with a gentle smile. Crooking his finger at Kim, he waited for the shorter redhead to come closer so that he could bend down and whisper into her ear. "You should have realized from my story that whenever Shannon takes to teasing a particular person for extended periods of time, then it mean that she actually enjoys that person's company," he whispered, winking at the astonished Kim when he pulled away. "Don't worry about it." He entered the dining room table and settled in the seat next to the still scowling raven-haired woman.

"Shego? Enjoying my company?" Kim wondered softly in the hallway. "No way," she muttered, marching into the dining room and finding herself a place on the dining table. _She's just a sadistic woman!_ She watched Enzo laugh at how Shego was wolfing down her food. Then suddenly, she found herself staring too long once again at her protector and managed to turn away in time to not get caught. What she didn't know was that a pair of blue-gray eyes regarded her with interest as she picked up her utensils and began to ferry food into her mouth.

Enzo had caught the heated gaze of the teen hero and he pretty much had an idea of what was going on. Smiling to himself, he too picked up his utensils and began to eat their rather late lunch.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**I'm trying to make up for my three week absence by updating the next few chapter faster. Thankfully, the ideas keep coming whenever I start typing. I tried to summarize the history of Enzo and Shego back when they were still college students. I didn't want to dwell much on Enzo since he's only playing a minor part in this story. He does have a significant role, which he will be putting to use in the near future. Just to assure you guys once more, he isn't a threat to the relationship of Kim and Shego. **_

_**Hope that all of you have enjoyed this story so far!**_

_**Next chapter: Heart-to-Heart Talk **_


	12. Explanations and Admission

_**Author's Note:**_

_**First off, another chapter is in the works, but I decided to edit a couple of previous chapters to address some issues pointed out by certain readers. Regarding this particular chapter, it's been years since I wrote this one, but I honestly don't remember and don't know what was going on in my head with this whole "dark secret" business. So I edited a little bit and made it a little more realistic.**_

* * *

_Chapter 12: "Explanations and Admission"_

"Boys! Come down here!" Ann Possible called from the bottom of the stairs. It was Christmas day and the Possible family minus the redheaded hero was trying to go about the holiday normally despite their missing family member. "Boys!" Ann called once more just as the twins ran down the stairs almost knocking their mother down.

"Sorry mom!" the boys chorused as they made a beeline for the Christmas tree and the presents. "Cool! Can we open the presents?" Both boys plopped down on the floor and each took hold of a brightly colored box.

Ann shook her head. "Let's wait for your father to set up the camera," she told the impatient boys, looking at scene before thoughtfully. "It feels strange that it's only going to be the four of us for Christmas," she mused a bit sadly.

James Possible stepped away from the tripod-mounted camera and headed for his wife. "Don't let it spoil your day, honey," he advised his wife with a brief hug. "I'm sure Kimmie-cub would have wanted the same for you." He walked back to the camera and pointed it at his twin geniuses. "Alright boys! You could start-" the sound of the doorbell ringing stopped him in midsentence. "Now who could that be?" James scratched his head and gestured at the boys to stop what they're doing.

"I'll get it," Ann offered, walking across the living room floor towards the door and pulling it open. Ann blinked in surprise and confusion as she stared at the mountain of bags and boxes before her. "May I help you?" she asked, looking down slightly to see that a pair of hands held up the packages.

"You could help me by letting me in," a head topped with auburn hair tilted to the side of the stack of packages to regard the neurosurgeon with jade-green eyes. "Hi mom!" Kim greeted, grinning widely as her mother took half of the pile from her arms and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Surprised to see me?"

Ann ushered her daughter in and allowed her husband and sons to assault Kim with hugs and kisses. "I am surprised," she replied after setting the packages on the living room table. "I thought that you were going to stay in London. That phone call convinced me that you were really not going to be able to come home for Christmas," she reminded her daughter. It had upset her greatly that their family would be incomplete during the holidays.

"I also thought that I really wouldn't be going back home, but then things changed," Kim said, handing out gifts to her parents and brothers. "Here, I did some Christmas shopping in London. I got gifts for everyone!"

As the twins grabbed the offered packages from Kim's outstretched arms, Ann and James Possible settled themselves on the couch. "So what happened?" Ann asked, patting the space in between her and her husband. "What made you decide to come over to Middleton?"

"Well, I wasn't really the one who made the decision," Kim said, settling herself in between her parents. "I told you over the phone that Shego wanted us to stay in London for the rest of my Christmas vacation, right?" She snuggled up to her dad for a few moments before leaning back against the couch. "We kind of had an argument when I told her that I wanted to go home. Eventually though, she agreed to let me go home and she even decided not to come along with me so that I could spend quality time with you guys."

Ann smiled affectionately caressed her daughter's cheek. "That was nice of Shego," she remarked. "Don't you think so, honey?" She looked over to her husband and frowned at the look on his face. "Don't tell me you're still skeptical about Shego being Kim's bodyguard."

"Perhaps I still am, but let's not dwell on that," James told everyone. "I'd rather spend the rest of the day with my family!" Getting off the couch, the rocket scientist stretched his arms to the ceiling before heading back to his tripod-mounted camera. "So Kimmie-cub, have you showed yourself yet to Ron?"

Kim shook her head. "I'm planning to drop by for a surprise visit at his home after this," she was referring to the gift opening.

"I'm sure he'll be quite happy to see you," Ann remarked, pulling her daughter off the couch so that they could all join in on the family photo taking.

* * *

_Sinclair Estate – Knightsbridge, London_

* * *

It was Christmas day and as usual, Enzo was going to spend it alone. His parents were off at some other part of the continent with their business partners for both holiday and business purposes. He was an obedient child and he knew better than to make a fuss about not being able to spend the holiday with his family. It has always been that way ever since he was deemed mature enough, which was around thirteen years old. He had gotten used to being alone for Christmas rather quickly and he had adapted easily due to the efforts of Antonio. His guardian-slash-servant spent Christmas with him while his parents were away.

Enzo let out a sigh as he tiredly rubbed his blue-gray eyes. This year was going to be exceptionally lonesome for him since he had convinced Antonio and the rest of the servants to go home for the holidays. Technically, he wasn't going to be alone since Shego was with him, but he doubted that his friend wanted to celebrate. Thinking about the green-skinned woman, Enzo decided to leave his study and check on Shego. Whistling a tune to himself, the heir walked down the hallway with his hands snug in his pockets. The whole mansion was quiet and devoid of humanity, which Enzo felt slightly strangely about.

Reaching Shego's door, he knocked before letting himself in. For a moment, he thought that the room was empty until he saw the familiar long raven black hair beyond the French doors that led to the bedroom's balcony. Enzo walked across the room and opened the French doors to join his long-time friend. "Aren't you cold?" he asked, walking to the railing and leaning his arms against it.

"Superpowers remember?" The villainess sat on the wide surface of the railing with one leg bent at the knee and propped up on the railing while the other leg stood anchored against the balcony's floor. She wore black pants, an emerald green polo with its sleeves rolled up her arms and a black v-necked vest worn over it. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to check if you were doing alright," Enzo replied, running cold fingers through his sable-black hair. "It seems that we're both loners for today," he mused, a wry smile forming on his face.

Shego looked at the somber looking man with the corners of her emerald green eyes. "Are you still feeling down that you're having a lonely Christmas?" she asked, throwing her head back to flip her long hair over her shoulders.

"Lonely Christmases without my parents, no," Enzo answered seriously. "But Christmases in a completely empty mansion, yes," he continued with a sad smile. "Well at least you're here with me." A sheepish glint appeared in his blue-gray eyes as Shego leaned over and lightly punched him on his arm. "I don't really care that there isn't any celebrating as long as there's someone around."

The villainess gave her best friend a sympathetic smile. "When was the last time you actually celebrated on Christmas day?"

The cellist shrugged. "Maybe two decades ago?" he said dryly.

Shego chuckled at this before beckoning with her fingers. "Hand me your phone. I think I could fix our lonesome Christmas," she told him. Taking the produced phone in hand, Shego quickly punched in a number then pressed the device against her ear. "Hey mom," she greeted, waving a hand at Enzo to keep him quiet. "Do you still have those annual Christmas parties you throw for your company?" She listened for a moment before nodding her head. "Would you mind if Enzo and I drop by? Alright, we'll be there in an hour or so. See you later then!" Shego hung up and handed the phone back.

"We're going to your mom's company's Christmas party?"

Shego grinned at him and hopped off the railing. "Get dressed, wallflower," she ordered. "I'm sure we'll be quite entertained at mom's party."

Enzo raised an inquiring eyebrow at the villainess. "What do you mean by entertained?"

"You haven't been to a party until you've attended one planned by my mom," Shego replied with a deep chuckle.

* * *

"This is outrageous."

"What?" Shego asked in a shout.

"I said," Enzo shouted. "This is outrageous!" His description of Leila Go's company Christmas party was spot on. "I hardly expected your mother of all people to rent out one of the most popular and not to mention exclusive clubs for her company Christmas party!" he shouted as the sound system blared out dance music. The party actually started at one of the function rooms in a nearby hotel. He and Shego arrived just as Leila Go and her officers were starting the raffle. Enzo had met the formidable mother of his best friend on several occasions back when they were still in college and he found it hard not to like her.

Shego laughed as she signaled for the bartender to bring her more beer. "You forget that my mom is young at heart," she told her friend, glancing over to the dance floor and grinning. The ebony brown-haired chief executive officer was dancing with a large group of her employees. "And she firmly believes that happy employees give better quality work," she added, thanking the waiter who brought her two bottles of beer. "It works for her by the way. Her company is in the top 50 list of most profitable businesses and has one of the highest employee satisfaction and turnover rates."

Enzo took one of the beer bottles and took a big gulp of the alcoholic beverage. "It makes me wonder how people are going to go home if they'll be pissed-off drunk by the end of this party." His blue-gray eyes finally adjusted to the dark and the frequently flashing lights. "How come you and your brothers never attend these annual parties?"

Shego finished her beer and set the bottle aside on their table. "I used to attend back when I used to visit my mom more frequently. After I got busy being in the criminal circuit, I rarely had time to go and I didn't want to attract attention to myself," she explained. "As for my brothers, Hego's too principled and finds the taste of alcohol nasty. Mego's too stuck up and prefers to go to his own clubs while the twins are still under aged."

Enzo laughed and finished his own beer. "Wondering how Kim is doing?" he asked after seeing Shego looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"Kim?" The villainess shook her head vigorously. "Why should I be thinking about her?" There was a hint of bitterness in her voice as she mentioned the name of her charge.

"Is it just me or do I sort of feel like that a certain ex-hero is missing her redheaded charge?" Enzo teased. He knew that he would most likely be punished for his teasing, but he wanted to confirm an inkling he had. As he expected, the green-hued woman reacted violently by lighting up one hand with her green plasma.

"Do you want ask that question again?" Shego growled, threatening the other man with her lit up fist. Before Enzo could reply or take action, a voice called out to the both of them from the dance floor.

"Shannon, behave yourself!" Leila Go ordered, walking towards their table. She glared at the green-glowing fist of her daughter. "And put that out before you break or burn something!" she added, smiling at Enzo while Shego muttered something under her breath as she extinguished her powers. "Enjoying yourself so far?"

Enzo nodded his head and smiled up at those green-flecked hazel eyes. "I am enjoying myself Miss Go," he replied. "I haven't had this much fun for quite some time now," he admitted, throwing a knowing glance at Shego who grinned back at him.

"Well the fun is just starting!" Leila exclaimed, grabbing a wireless microphone from a nearby bar attendant. "Who's ready for the drinking contest?" she shouted into the microphone as nearly a hundred voices roared their enthusiasm. "Get that bar ready!" She threw the microphone back at the attendant and smiled expectantly at her daughter. "Up for the challenge, Shannon?"

Shego laughed and pushed herself away from the table. "I'm always ready, mom," she replied, a wicked glint in her emerald green eyes. She moved around the table and hooked Enzo's arm with her own arm. "You too wallflower," she told him. "You're going to be joining this contest with me."

"But I'm driving us home!" Enzo protested as Shego dragged him towards the long bar.

"Don't be such a wuss!" Shego snapped at him, pushing him down onto one stool and hopping into the stool right next to his. "If I heard right, the winner of this drinking contest gets two tickets to an all-expense paid trip to the Caribbean that lasts for a whole week!" She made a taunting gesture at her mother who sat several stools away from her. "One of us is bound to last and that raises our chances of winning!"

Enzo sighed as the bartenders placed the first double shot of tequila in front of the twenty participants. "I could easily pay for a Caribbean vacation," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders as he picked up the shot glass and gulped down its contents. "You better start thinking of a way to get home after this," he told Shego who let out a whoop and ordered the next shot to be served.

"Go! Go! Go! Go!" The crowd chanted loudly at the three remaining contestants of the drinking contest proposed by Leila Go.

Despite the loud buzzing in his mind, Enzo found himself chanting along with the corporation's employees. Unfortunately, he had bowed out at the 11th shot and settled for fifth place after feeling the familiar symptoms of nausea slowly overtake him. Reminding himself of the nasty hangover he would wake up to, the heir decisively backed out and dizzily eased himself onto a nearby table to watch the rest of the contest.

"Come on Shannon!" he shouted with a slight slur in his speech. "Beat that old lady!" Enzo taunted. As most of the spectators expected, the remaining contestants included Leila Go, her daughter and the research and development department head. They were going on their 15th shot of the contest when the only male remaining in the contest passed out, his head banging on the bar. As his friends dragged him off the bar, the crowd became all the more unruly as their boss and her daughter battled it out.

"You really are you mother's daughter," Leila said drunkenly as she took hold of her 16th shot of the night.

Shego grinned like an idiot at her mother as she wrapped her numb fingers around the filled shot glass. "I learned from the best," she replied in the same drunken manner before tipping her glass to her lips and gulping the liquid down. "Phew! That's hot!" she exclaimed, pressing a hand on her forehead as she watched her mother gulp down her own drink. "Bet you can't last to the 20th shot!" Shego taunted.

"We'll see about that! Line up the next four shots!" Leila shouted as the two of the bartenders arranged four shot glasses in front of each contestant and filled it with tequila. "Let's make it a bit more interesting then," she proclaimed, leaning her elbow against the bar and gazing at her daughter. "We'll take the last four shots in a row. Ten seconds break between each shot. If one of us takes longer than that, passes out or gives up then she's the winner."

Shego almost heard her mind and body screaming for her stop, but she didn't pay them any heed and accepted the risky challenge. "You're on!" she agreed. She could only hope that her younger age would prove to be her advantage in this showdown. As the bartender gave them the signal, both she and her mom took the first glass and gulped down its contents.

"Nice and easy Shannon!" Enzo shouted from his seat. "Use up the ten seconds before you take the next shot!" he advised.

As the crowd did the ten-second countdown, Shego tried to regulate her breathing and attempted shut out the noise around her. When the countdown reached 8, she reached for the second shot glass and gulped down the hot and burning liquid. She was starting to see spots in her vision as the crowd began the new countdown. The villainess felt like every part of her body was burning as she quickly glanced at her mother who seemed to be in the same state as her. _She'll give out in the next shot,_ Shego predicted, blinking away the dark spots forming in her vision. _Just one more!_ Taking a deep breath, the raven-haired woman took the next shot and let the liquid burn a hot trail down her throat and chest. Before she could even set the empty glass down on the table, she felt herself blackout and could hear the combined sounds of cheering and worried shouting as her body seemed to float. A hard jolt to her head and back brought her back to consciousness as she blinked up at the faces that were peering at her from above.

"You alright?" Enzo asked, his amused face directly above hers. "You temporarily passed out and fell off your stool, you know." The other people that surrounded her supine form backed away as Enzo knelt down and helped her sit up on the floor.

Shego groaned and covered her mouth, feeling sick. "I take it I lost?" she asked, willing her stomach and nerves to calm down.

Enzo nodded and rubbed her back sympathetically. "They gave the victory to your mom, but I think she's giving going to raffle the prize off," he informed her. "Bathroom?" he guessed as the villainess retched and tightened her hold over her mouth. "Ok!" Enzo lifted the villainess up and carried her over to the nearest bathroom. He stood guard outside as he let his best friend relieve herself for the next five minutes. "Feeling better?" he asked when the ex-hero stumbled out of the bathroom.

"Nasty," Shego summarized as she scrubbed her lips with the back of her hand. "My head is still reeling," she admitted, leaning against the wall and pressing the base of her palm against her forehead.

"Time to leave?"

Shego nodded. "Let's say bye first to my mom." She let Enzo lead her back towards the bar where her mother was in no better shape that she was. "Did you drink that 3rd shot, mom?" she asked.

Leila shook her head and grinned weakly at her only daughter. "I was halfway done with the drink when you suddenly passed out and fell off your stool," she admitted. "Once you fell out, I stopped drinking and slipped the remaining tequila onto the floor."

"Cheater," Shego muttered, leaning against Enzo. "At least you had the right mind to raffle out the prize instead of taking it for yourself," she remarked. "Ohhhh… my head," she groaned. "We're going ahead, mom."

Leila nodded her head and thanked the bartender who handed her a cup of black and unsweetened coffee. "Is Enzo sober enough to drive you back?" she asked, taking a sip of the hot beverage.

"Well enough," Enzo replied for Shego who had once again blacked out. "I sober up quite quickly if I don't have too much to drink." He shifted Shego's body, bent down and settled the unconscious villainess on his back. "We'll be alright Miss Go," he assured the older woman. "I am predicting that the both of us will be having hangovers when we wake up though Shannon would probably have a worse one."

"Know how to make a Bloody Mary?" Leila asked the young man who nodded his head. "Make one for Shego when she wakes up, but leave out the alcohol that you usually mix in with the drink. Just add another dash of Tabasco to it. It's a hangover remedy that usually works for Shannon."

Enzo smiled and shifted his grip on Shego's immobile form. "I'll do that then. Thanks for inviting us to the party," he said, blue-gray eyes filled with gratitude. "Shannon and I really enjoyed ourselves." With one last nod of goodbye, the heir carried his best friend out of the club and headed down the street towards the nearby parking lot. "Brings back some memories, huh?" he said to no one in particular, remembering the last party he and the villainess had attended.

* * *

_Middleton Airport_

* * *

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Ron asked, sounding a bit upset as Rufus chattered his agreement atop his shoulder. "You've barely been here for two days and you're going to leave?"

Kim smiled sadly at her boyfriend and hugged him. "I explained everything to you the other night," she reminded the blonde-haired boy. "Shego won't be too happy with me if I decide to extend my stay." She shook her head when Ron shivered visibly at the mention of the villainess' name.

"It's still hard to believe that the woman who you've been tussling with for the past few years has put her criminal activities aside to protect you," Ron pointed out. "Has she been mean to you, Kim?" he demanded. "If she is then I'll fly over to London and teach her a lesson monkey kung-fu style!" He let out a few punches and kicks in the air for emphasis before Kim shushed him.

"Shego's still Shego," Kim assured her boyfriend after the passers-by lost interest in the short spectacle that happened. "We argue, but that's definitely not unusual since we always do that when we're together." At the back of her head, she was looking forward to reuniting with her snarky protector. "Don't worry about me Ron. I'll be back home the day after new year's day."

"Then you promise that we'll spend more time together?" Ron looked hopefully at his girlfriend.

Kim nodded half of her heart not into it. "I'll call you," she said, looking towards the gate that would lead her to Enzo's private jet. She took her duffel bag of the floor, slung it on her shoulder and started towards the gate, when a hand around her arm stopped her. "What is it, Ron?" she asked, draping the emerald green coat Shego had given her over her arm.

Ron frowned at her for a few seconds before his usual goofy smile formed on his face. "Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" he demanded.

Strangely, Kim struggled to put a smile on her face and to kiss her boyfriend of two years. She ended up pecking the blonde-haired boy quickly on the lips and patting his hairless rodent on the head. "I'll see you guys soon!" she bade them goodbye and hurriedly walked towards the boarding gate, leaving a slightly befuddled Ron behind.

Finally settled in her large and comfortable seat, Kim strapped herself in and just needed to send a message to the pilot through the communication system. Tapping a button on the arm of her seat, Kim waited until the familiar voice of Enzo's pilot came on. "All set to go," she informed him.

"Roger that," the pilot replied. "We'll arrive at London in six to seven hours." Their communication link ended soon after that.

As the private jet taxied off towards its assigned take-off runway, Kim pulled out a gift-wrapped package from her duffel bag and placed it on her lap. She felt compelled to return the thoughtfulness of her protector by getting her a Christmas gift. On the flight going back to Middleton, Kim had called up a famous fashion designer whom she helped during the Camille Leon case. It had taken some convincing to get the designer to agree with her plan, but eventually he agreed. The garment was delivered to her promptly the morning of her flight and now Kim finally had the chance to look it over.

With some help from Wade, Kim was able to get Shego a brand new and enhanced leather jacket. The black leather was synthesized with the same material used in her battle suit and would instantly repair itself if torn or damaged in any other way. The redhead had gotten the idea after catching her protector frowning over her leather jacket that was falling apart. Kim even went to great extents of having the fashion designer put a high collar on the jacket, knowing that the villainess would appreciate the feature.

"I hope she likes it," Kim murmured, folding the garment and placing it back in its box. "I wonder what she'll say and how she'll react to it," she thought aloud, looking out the window and realizing that they were already in the air. "I'll just have to sleep on it and find out in a few hours," she decided. Reclining her chair and pulling a blanket over her body, the teen hero closed her eyes.

The jet's landing on one of the runways of the London airport jolted her to wakefulness. Kim didn't think that she would sleep through the whole flight, but she certainly had no trouble doing that. As the jet taxied to its private hangar, Kim gathered her belongings and waited as the pilot appeared and opened the hatch for her.

"It was a pleasure Miss Possible," he told her in a polite voice, tipping his hat at her. "A taxi is already waiting at the front of the hangar to take you back to Master Lorenzo's home." He stepped away from the door and ushered Kim outside.

"Thanks," Kim told the pilot then headed down the stairs. The taxi was indeed outside of the hangar but the driver waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. Giving her a cheerful greeting, the driver offered to carry her belongings for her. The redhead let the man take her duffel bag, but she kept her hands on her gift for Shego.

"Whose that gift for?" The taxi driver glanced at her using the rearview mirror after they have been on the road for twenty minutes. "Must be for someone special for you to hold on to it like it meant the world to you," he pointed out with a smile.

"Hmmm?" Kim snapped out of thoughts and shook her head forcefully. "It's for a friend of mine," she explained, blushing at how the taxi driver noticed and pointed out how silly she was acting. "A late Christmas gift of some sort," she added, hoping that the explanation would be enough for the man behind the wheel.

"That's kind of you," the driver replied, focusing his attention on the road for the rest of the trip.

By the time they arrived at the gates of the Sinclair estate, Kim was anxious to get out of the taxi. She wasn't so sure why she was feeling that way, but she told herself that she just needed some rest. Excusing herself, the redhead got out of the car and walked towards the telecom device. Before she could even touch it, the gates suddenly swung open. Someone must have seen her taxi from the mansion so she hopped back inside the taxi and asked the driver to drop her off at the front.

Just as she guessed, a servant waited for her at front steps and opened the door for her. "I spotted your taxi as I was about to do my chores for the day," he explained, closing the door after Kim had gotten out and walking around to the trunk. "I shall take your bags to your room."

Kim thanked the young man and paid the taxi driver for his services. "Does your master and Shego know that I'm here?" she asked as the taxi pulled away and headed out of the gates.

The servant shook his head. "Would you like for me to announce your arrival?"

"No need for that," Kim told him with a grateful smile. "Bringing my bags up will be enough." She turned to enter the mansion when she remembered something. "Would you happen to know where Shego is?"

"I brought tea to her and the master in the sitting room on the second floor about half an hour ago," he answered. "They should probably still be there."

While the servant made his way to another door carrying Kim's luggage, the redhead stepped towards the main door and quietly pushed it open. Clutching the box to her chest, Kim made her way up the stairs onto the second floor. Her heart beat excitedly as she got closer and closer to her destination. She could not wait to give the gift to her protector. As she approached the doors of the sitting room, she noticed that the doors were slightly open and she could hear voices talking inside. Quietly making her way towards the gap left by the open door and thinking that she should surprise them, Kim peeked through the opening only to feel her heart wrench at the sight before her.

She first took a step back then another as she clamped a hand over her quivering lips. _Why?_ she thought to herself woefully as she watched Enzo lean down over a seated Shego and gently kissed her protector's lips. Wrenching her gaze away from the two friends, Kim turned tail, ran down the hallway and upstairs to her bedroom. Throwing the Shego's gift on the bed, Kim leaned heavily against her closed door and pressed a fist over her aching chest. _What's wrong with me?_ _Why do I feel so angry and depressed? _She suddenly felt the urge to run far away so she did exactly that. Exiting her room and running down the stairs and out of the door, the auburn-haired teen hero sprinted down the road. Not bothering to even have the gates opened, the redhead used her acrobatic ability to jump and scale over the steel gates before running aimlessly away from the Sinclair estate.

* * *

_Sinclair Mansion – The Sitting Room prior to Kim's arrival…_

* * *

"How'd you know that a Bloody Mary works well as a cure to my hangovers?"

Enzo smiled at his friend from his seat on the opposite couch. "Your mother gave me the tip when you passed out," he replied, moving his bow gracefully over his cello's strings as he played a gentle and calming tune. It was nearing twelve noon when Enzo finally woke up to a slight headache. He managed to get Shego and himself home a little bit past four in the morning after they had left the party. He experienced some difficulty carrying a completely passed out Shego up to her room in his still-sobering state, but otherwise nothing else happened.

Shego sighed and kneaded her temples. "I feel better, but my head still feels fuzzy," she told the cellist. "Not that your cello playing isn't helping me out," she added quickly, smiling gratefully at him. The villainess had woken up an hour and a half later than the sable-haired man who sat before her. While he woke up with a slight headache, she had a migraine. She managed to give herself a shower and dressed herself in clean clothes throughout the painful throbbing she experienced.

"Want me to get you another Bloody Mary?" Enzo offered, still playing his cello for the villainess. Earlier, he visited Shego in her room and brought her to the sitting room while he ordered one of the servants to prepare the hangover remedy for Shego. He left her momentarily to fetch his cello at first thinking that he should practice then decided that he would try to make Shego feel better with some soothing music.

Shego shook her head and ran her long and slender fingers through her raven-black hair. "I'm good," she told him, leaning back against the cushioned couch and closing her eyes. "I haven't passed out like that for years," she murmured, casting herself adrift with the mellow music produced by Enzo's cello.

"How long ago was that?"

"Maybe three years ago?" Shego guessed, half opening her eyes to regard the blue-eyed man. "There was a villain party that Drakken and I were invited to and we sort of had a similar contest to the one we joined last night," she recounted with a wry smile on her lips. "The only difference was that I won the contest before I passed out."

Enzo chuckled at this as he resumed his playing. "Kim should be arriving soon," he informed her, watching his friend's face carefully. "My pilot called up a while ago and told me that Kim's on her way via taxi."

"Is that so?" Shego asked in an uninterested voice.

"Yes," Enzo answered back in a normal tone. He did not want to give himself away after all. Shego's voice may have sounded uninterested, but saw a hint of a smile forming on the raven-haired woman's face when he mentioned Kim's name to her. "My pilot also mentioned something about a gift she was holding on to."

"Probably a Christmas gift," Shego answered in the same tone of voice.

"But for whom I wonder?" The cellist replied with another question of his own.

The small smile turned into a scowl. "How I should I know?" she asked wearily, placing a forearm over her closed eyes. "It might be for you or it might be for Antonio," she guessed.

Enzo smiled, but resumed his cello playing. "Perhaps, but Antonio won't be arriving until tomorrow afternoon."

"So that leaves you then."

"And yourself of course," Enzo added.

"Why again are we talking about this?" Shego demanded, letting her arm drop to her side as she mustered the energy to glare at her best friend. "So what if the gift is for you or for me?" She lazily crossed her arms over her chest that was covered by a green wifebeater shirt. The room was heated enough for her to go about wearing the chosen shirt and loose black cloth pants. She even went around barefoot.

"Easy there Shannon," Enzo advised the villainess.

"No seriously Enzo!" Shego sat up and gazed levelly at her best friend. "There's something going on and you've been hinting something." She knew for quite some time that her friend was hiding something from her. His strange behavior started on the day she and Kim arrived at his mansion. "I want you to tell me_ now._"

"Shannon," Enzo started.

"_Spit it out now!" _Her tone of voice was bordering dangerous.

Enzo let out a defeated sigh. He supposed that it would be better that he told the green-hued villainess now than later. "It's about Kim," he said, stopping his cello playing and putting the instrument aside.

"I figured as much," Shego remarked, still annoyed.

"That girl likes you."

"What?"

Enzo sighed patiently and looked seriously at the ex-hero. "Either you're too dense to have noticed it or you're in denial."

"What the hell are you saying?" Shego scowled deeply at him. "You're not making any sense."

"Kim Possible likes you," Enzo repeated himself, using specific terms. He watched as Shego's jaw dropped down as she struggled to come up with an answer. "So which is it?" he asked. "Too dense to notice or you're in denial?"

"You're out of your damn mind!" Shego yelled, emerald green eyes ablaze.

"You're not even answering my questions straight," Enzo pointed out, raising his thick eyebrows at her.

"What gave you the freaking idea that Kimmie likes me?!" she demanded, glaring icily at the other man. She could feel her head beginning to throb once again.

Enzo leaned back on the couch he sat on and folded his hand over his stomach. "You haven't seen the way she looks at you?"

"No!" Shego shouted. "What does that have to do with it?" Her mind was flashing pictures of those times Kim had stared too long at her back when they were still living in her apartment in Go City. "Looking at me doesn't mean anything!" she exclaimed, shaking the unwanted thoughts away.

"It does depending on the look," Enzo countered, smiling at the frustration on Shego's face. "She looks as if she's boring right through you body. It's like she's searching for something deep within you." He held up his hand to silence the villainess. "There's a fire in those eyes of hers," he told her earnestly. "It's smoldering and slowly building up with time."

"You know what I think?"

"What?" Enzo asked.

"I think that's crap!" Shego let out in a huff. "There's no way that Kim could see me in that way," she reasoned out.

"Denial," Enzo answered in a soft singsong voice.

"Care to say that again?" Shego asked, raising her fist and lighting it up with her power.

Enzo shrugged. "Suit yourself then. You did want to find out," he reminded her. "Since it looks like you don't want to talk about this any further, I have something to ask you."

"As long as it has nothing to do with what we were talking about," Shego growled, making herself comfortable once more on the couch. "What's bothering you?"

"Well…" Enzo scuffed his foot against the floor, rested a suddenly clammy hand on his cello and let out what was on his mind in one breath.

"Wait! What? Slow down man!" Shego scowled at the sable-haired man. "Now repeat that again, but do it slower!"

Enzo nodded, took in a deep breath and released it. "Remember Kaileena?" he asked quietly.

Shego blinked. She should have known. "Of course I do," she replied, smiling at her friend. "Your girlfriend, right? You never said how long you've been going steady with her."

"Two years," Enzo replied, still in a quiet voice.

"She seemed like a really nice girl," Shego thought aloud. "Kind, gentle and obviously balances out that wallflower characteristic of yours," she enumerated. "A strong young woman who's educated and respected by the community. What else is there to ask for?" She had a feeling where this conversation was going.

"Asking for her hand in marriage," the heir answered, a fierce blush roving his cheeks.

"I knew it!" Shego exclaimed. "When are you going to ask her?"

"I-I'm not sure," Enzo stuttered, anxiously running his fingers through his hair. "I-I invited her to dinner at a fine dining restaurant three days from now."

Shego laughed at how nervous her friend had become. "Calm down Enzo," she told him. "I'm guessing you want to pop the question during the dinner." Shego rubbed her chin in thought as the heir nodded his head. "You have no idea how to go about it, don't you?"

"What do I say?" Enzo asked, his voice rising in volume. "Do I just ask her to marry me just like that? Do I get down on my knees? Do I-"

"Whoa boy! Easy with the questions!" Shego chuckled and with her fingers smoothed a smile off her face. Schooling her face to seriousness, the villainess leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees. "How to pop the question depends on you. You could always do the traditional way," she suggested.

"So I ask her at the start of the dinner?"

"No you idiot!" Shego said, obviously amused. "Let the dinner finish and then invite her to share a bottle of wine," she lectured him, laughing heartily when the heir brought out a pen and a sheet of paper and hurriedly began to scribble down notes. "When she gets to her second glass, make your move."

"What do I do then?"

"Don't you watch any of those romance movies?" Shego demanded. "Sheesh! I can't believe I have to explain this to you!" She took one look at that hopeful look on her friend's face and doled out. "You're taking down notes right? You better be taking this down carefully! I'm only going to say this once!" She took a breath and fixed a serious look on her face. "After you invite her to share a bottle of wine, look deep into her eyes and take her hand in yours." The ex-hero waited for a few seconds to let the heir take down what she said. "Then tell her what you like about her."

Enzo looked up from his note taking and gave Shego a confused look.

"Oiii…" Shego slapped her forehead. "Tell her something like 'you're the moon and the stars that lit up the seemingly endless darkness of my life,'" she said. "I know it's cheesy and don't bother to ask how I came up with that line," she added before Enzo could say anything. "Say other stuff to that effect."

Enzo nodded. "Then I go down on my knees and ask her?"

Shego shook her head. "On second thought, if you're going to use that line I gave you," she started, looking at her fingernails. "Take your glasses of wine to a balcony of some sort or somewhere outdoors like a small garden then say that line." Glancing at her watch, she realized that she was getting hungry. "After that you go down on _one _knee, not on both! Show her the ring and ask her."

"So I ask her to marry me?" Enzo threw up a hand to protect his face from a thrown pillow. "Ow! What was that for?" he demanded.

"Can't you be more creative?" Shego muttered. "I can't believe I'm making your lines for you! Keep it nice and simple. Try this, 'I've fallen hard for you and I cannot see myself without you in my life. Will you marry me?'"

Enzo stared hard at Shego. "I never realized how poetic and romantic you could be."

"Shut up! I'm just trying to help you out and these things are just top of mind!" Shego snapped. "Is that enough tips for you?" she asked, wearily kneading her temples. Her head was starting to throb painfully again.

Enzo nodded and looked at his notes. "So after dinner and having some wine, I take her outdoors and say that line you gave me," he recounted. "After that, I get down on one knee then ask her to marry me in that way you suggested." He and Shego traded nods when he suddenly realized something. "What do I do next?"

Shego threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Kiss her you idiot!"

Enzo's blue-gray eyes widened in surprise. "K-Kiss her?" he stuttered.

"Yes!" Shego let out, hiding her face in her hands. "Get back on your feet and kiss her," she told him, looking up at him through her lashes and realizing that something was wrong. "What's wrong with you? You act like you've never kissed her before!"

"I haven't."

The villainess gawked at her best friend. "You've been together for two years and you've never kissed each other?" she asked incredulously. "Must I be the one to teach you?" she mumbled. "Oh alright," she agreed reluctantly. "Pretend that I'm Kaileena. Come here already!"

Enzo paled and shook his head. "No it's alright Shannon! This is asking for too much from you!" He got to his feet and was about to head out of the sitting room.

"You brought it up so let's get it over with! I don't want that poor girl to experience a sloppy kiss when her boyfriend proposes to her!" Shego crooked her fingers at her friend. "Now come here!" she ordered.

Hesitantly, the sable-haired man slowly made his way to the seated villainess and stood before her. Placing a hand on the backrest of the couch, the heir unconsciously licked his lips as he brought his face closer and closer. While Shego's eyes had already closed, Enzo kept his own eyes open as he gently eased his lips over hers. Just as he was about to close his own eyes to savor the moment, he saw a flash of red at the door and a pained look on a familiar face. _Oh no… what bad timing, _Enzo thought as he pulled away.

Shego crossed her arms over her chest and grinned up at him. "Not bad, wallflower. Do it that way when you propose to her and you don't need to worry about anything else except for planning your wedding." She cocked her head at the distracted man. "Enzo?"

"Sorry," he apologized, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "I truly appreciate the help you've given me, Shannon."

Shego got to her feet and gave the taller man a hug. "Glad that I could help," she told him. "Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone about what we talked about and what we did just now." She punched him on the arm for emphasis before walking out of the room.

Walking out into the hall, Enzo checked if the coast was clear before heading down the stairs and looking for the nearest servant. Spotting one of the men, he approached him and asked, "I'm assuming that Kim isn't in her room. Would you happen to know where she has gone?" he asked.

The servant nodded his head. "I was on my way out of the garage when I spotted her sprinting down the path towards the gate. She jumped over it and headed west."

Enzo clamped a hand on the man's shoulder. "My thanks." He strode out of the house and made his way to the garage. His garage held an impressive collection of cars and a few motorcycles. He had learned to ride a motorcycle from Shego back in college and decided to purchase a few when he moved back to London.

Instead of taking a car or motorcycle, he brought down a blue and silver racing bicycle from its mounted position on the garage wall. Seeing that the wheels were still filled with enough air, the young man mounted the bike and pedaled his way towards the opening gates. He had no idea where Kim had gone except that she headed west, but he was quite sure that people may have spotted a redheaded girl while they were outside.

Despite the chilly wind that blew across the small park, Kim did not feel cold. The emerald green coat she wore kept her from freezing, but it could not warm the ice that had suddenly formed in her heart. She still did not understand why she was feeling this way and why she was so affected by what she witnessed earlier. She thought that they were just friends… best friends in fact and they even said so themselves that there was nothing special going on between them.

But why was she feeling so angry and downcast about it? Why did she feel like her heart was wrenching apart when she saw Enzo lean down and kiss her protector so sweetly? Kim shook her head and dug the front of her shoe into the sand as she sat on a swing. There was no need for her to feel and react this way, but she did not feel like going back.

Feet making its way to her crunched in the sand as the redhead wrapped her arms around herself. "I've been looking for you," a familiar deep baritone voice addressed her. Greeted with silence, the heir of the Sinclair Corporation let out a sigh and settled himself on the other swing. "I know you saw what I did a while back," he started, looking over at Kim. "But it's not what you think it is."

"Oh yeah?" Kim snapped, surprised at her reaction. "So what was it then?" she demanded angrily. "Was it just for fun? Were the two of you just playing?"

"It wasn't for fun, Kim," Enzo explained. "It was rather serious actually."

"So it was serious!" Kim cried out.

"Not in the way that you're thinking," Enzo amended, reaching out and gentling the teen hero with a broad hand on her shoulder. "Will you let me explain?" he asked in a soft voice, seeing the redhead nod. "It was actually a favor," he began. "I'm planning to propose to my girlfriend of two years and I, being such the bumbling idiot when it comes to these matters, sought help from Shannon who reluctantly agreed." He looked sheepishly at Kim and rubbed his reddening cheeks. "I thought I had it all down until we got to the part after I propose to her. I asked Shego what to do next and she told me that I was an idiot for now knowing."

"Kiss?" Kim guessed feeling a bit better that she had misunderstood the whole thing.

"Yeah," Enzo said with a sigh. "You see, I never really expressed my affections for Kaileena even in the two years we've been together. I didn't want to impose the task on Shego, but she agreed to it anyway and made me go through with practicing with her," he explained. "It was just one kiss though."

"Oh." That was all Kim could say as she covered her face in embarrassment. She couldn't believe that she made a fuss over such a thing. That type of thing was considerable between two good friends and she shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. "I'm sorry that I reacted that way," she apologized, locking eyes with Enzo.

"Apology accepted, but I do wonder though," Enzo said, looking deeply into Kim's eyes. "Why did you react so violently?"

Kim's cheeks flared red once again. "I-I don't know! I guess it's because Shego lied to me and I hate it when people play with my feelings!" She gulped when she realized what she said and turned her head away. Now she knew the answer to the barrage of questions she had asked herself earlier, but she still could not accept it.

"You like her," Enzo told her gently.

"As a _friend!_" Kim snapped hurriedly.

"Both you and I know very well that you like her in another way, Kim," the heir said, utmost seriousness in his voice. "I've seen how you've been acting around her." He got out of the swing and walked a few feet away from her, hands buried deep within his pockets. "You heated gazes at her, the prolonged staring, the quarrels," he enumerated, glancing over his shoulder to look at the teen hero. "It makes sense now, doesn't it?"

"I can't be feeling that way about her!" Kim said weakly, feeling her heart pound painfully in her chest. "I just can't!" She desperately looked into Enzo's fathomless and understanding blue-gray orbs. "I just can't…" she repeated in a whisper. "I'm not… I'm not…" she stammered.

"Into women?" Enzo finished for her. "Is it such a big deal? If you love her then what could possibly be wrong with that?" Enzo shook his head and held his hand up to keep the girl silent. "Look Kim. I know you're skeptical about this, but I also know that you're afraid for this to happen."

"I'm not afraid!" Kim said defensively.

Enzo raised an eyebrow at the redhead. "Shall I tell you what you're afraid of?" he asked. Not waiting for the younger girl to reply, he began to explain to her what she was afraid of. "You're afraid of what people will think of you when they find out that you're having a relationship with another woman. You're afraid of what they'll think of you when they find out that a renowned hero and crime fighter is going out with an infamous villainess. You're afraid of losing the friendship you have with Ron Stoppable," Enzo enumerated. "And you're afraid of being pushed away by the woman you have your eyes on."

"You presume much," Kim tried to argue back and deny Enzo's claims.

"Alright then," the heir said. "I will believe you if you look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you're not interested in my best friend." Waiting for the redhead to prove herself, Enzo patiently stood in place until Kim was ready to answer. "Well?" he asked.

Kim opened her mouth to deny that she was interested in her protector, but the thoughts that ran through her head made it hard for her to think straight. Everything that Enzo said was true. She had been staring at Shego and in a way, she was attracted to the older woman despite how wrong it felt… how wrong it felt to others mostly. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't at all disgusted with the idea that she was actually attracted to Shego. Enzo was also dead on when he enumerated the things that she was scared of if she did pursue a relationship with the villainess. Those were normal she supposed and now that he mentioned it, Kim was all the more scared that Shego would push her away when she admitted her feelings to her.

"It's not hard to say," Enzo told her in a gentle voice.

"I-I like Shego," Kim stammered, feeling her heart swell. "Oh Enzo! Will she accept me?" she asked, looking hopefully up at the older man.

Enzo shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not at all sure, Kim," he admitted. "I may be her best friend, but I still find it hard to crack her hard outer shell and see what's in her heart and mind." He looked up at the darkening skies. "The only advice I could tell you is to be open and patient with Shannon. She'll be shocked of course when you admit your true feelings for her, but don't let that dissuade you especially when she starts using hurtful words on you."

"Does she feel the same way?" Kim whispered the question that has been burdening her unknowingly for the past few months they have spent together as protector and protected.

Enzo blinked and smiled at the teen hero. "She may not admit it and I'm sure she'll make a fuss about it first, but I can tell that she really likes you, Kim," he assured the redhead. "Another piece of advice," he added. "Before you actually agree to anything, it would be best if you go into a relationship without keeping any secrets from each other."

Kim looked confused. "But I don't have any secrets to hide!"

"I know, Kim," Enzo replied. "I actually meant Shego."

"Shego has secrets?" Kim questioned. "What are the secrets she's hiding that could possibly have a role in this?"

Enzo shook his head. "Just one general secret actually and it would be best if you ask her to reveal it to you. It's not for me to tell you," he explained ruefully. He thought about it for a few more moments then added, "Kim, you do accept that you're an idealist right?"

Kim raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I'm an idealist," she agreed, not sure where this conversation was going.

"And you have an ideal look on what love and relationship should be right?" Enzo asked.

"Well, yes," Kim replied, even more puzzled. "Why are you asking?"

Enzo frowned. "Regarding Shego, she may not share the same ideals as you when it comes to relationships."

"In what way?"

"Well… she's liberal," Enzo tried, unwilling to get to the details.

Kim stared at him. "Are you implying that Shego sleeps around?"

Enzo vehemently shook his head. "She's had her share of lovers," he paused and shook his head. "Better to say friends with benefits," he amended. "But nothing long term," he finished, looking a bit worried. "I haven't seen Shannon in years so I can't really say how she's going to react when the two of you talk."

The redhead nodded, but couldn't hide the troubled look on her face.

"Anyway, it's getting late and I'm getting cold." The heir rubbed his arms briskly. "I knew I should have taken the car when I went out to look for you!" he complained to himself as Kim got out of the swing and walked to his side. "Come on. I could get us back to the mansion in five minutes on the bicycle I took." He slung a friendly arm around Kim's shoulders and steered her towards the exit.

* * *

"Where could those two have gone to?"

Shego wandered around the mansion in search of her best friend and her charge. The servants had informed her that Kim had arrived while she and Enzo were still in the sitting room. None of the servants she approached knew where the redhead had gone off to, but they did know that Enzo had left the premises for unknown reasons.

The villainess let out a long sigh as she headed back up the stairs. Dinner was fast approaching and she didn't want to eat by herself. Reaching a junction, Shego thought about heading back to her room and waiting until either of the two people she was looking for arrived, but decided against it. She wanted to check Kim's room just in case that she was actually there all along. Heading down the opposite side of the hallway, the raven-haired woman briskly knocked on Kim's bedroom door and waited for an answer.

"Kimmie? Are you in there?" Shego called, trying the doorknob and finding that it was unlocked. Opening the door and easing herself into the dark room, she switched on the lights and found that the room was indeed empty except for her charge's duffel bag, and gift-wrapped present on the bed. Curious especially since her prior conversation with Enzo, Shego approached the bed and opened the card taped on the top of the box. "To Shego," she read, genuinely surprised that her charge had made the effort to get her something.

Pulling the strings off and unwrapping the package, Shego pulled the lid of the box off and stared at the stylish black leather jacket she held up with one hand. It was interesting to note that the material felt slightly off when she touched it and that the collar was made to be high enough to cover half of her face.

"I noticed how battered your leather jacket was and I thought about getting a new one for you," a voice said from the door.

Shego whirled around and frowned at her charge who stood beneath the open doorway. "Where have you been?" she demanded, trying to sound cross. "You've made me worry needlessly!"

Kim closed the door behind her and walked towards her protector, an odd expression on her face. "Went for a long walk," she replied. "Thought about some stuff and came to decision with some help from your best friend," she continued.

"Enzo? What did he tell you?" Somehow, the uneasiness in her gut foretold what was going to happen.

"Did you know that I had the fashion designer who made this leather jacket for you use the same material that my battle suit is made of?" Kim asked, ignoring her protector's question. "That way, the jacket will repair itself with whatever damage it experiences."

Shego crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently against the floor. "I asked you a question, princess," she reminded darkly. "And I want it answered_ now_!" The answer hit her when she saw the heated glint in her charge's jade-green eyes. "What the hell did Enzo tell you, princess?" she demanded, anxiety forming into a tight ball in her chest.

"To make it short, he made me realize what I was truly feeling," Kim said as she looked down at her feet. After a brief pause, she looked up and locked eyes with her protector. "What I was really feeling about you," she explained, stepping forward and reaching with both hands to cup Shego's cheeks.

"Kim," Shego swallowed hard, her mind racing.

The redhead placed a finger over the villainess' lips, silencing her. "I've been in denial for far too long. I should have guessed that these warring feelings within me were actually caused because of my attraction to you," she said in a soft voice, gently caressing the taller woman's pale green skin. Taking a deep breath, the teen hero embraced her protector and whispered into her ear. "I… like you, Shego."

The tightness in her throat and chest was becoming unbearable for Shego. This was becoming too much for her to handle and take in so she abruptly pulled away from her charge and backed away. "What the hell has gotten into you?" Shego demanded, her voice cracking. "What makes you think I swing that way, Kimmie?"

Kim smiled and took a step towards Shego who continued to back away from her. "Did your voice just crack and why do you look so distressed?" She knew that she had Shego there and that the villainess was showing all the signs that she was actually also attracted to her.

"I'm fucking distressed because of the way you're acting!" Shego sputtered, backing away until her back hit the wall. What was the use of denying it anyway? So Enzo had figured everything out from the start. He knew that Kim was attracted to her and he probably also guessed that she was also attracted to the teen hero. "Kimmie," it came out in a strangled whisper. "Don't come any closer," she said, wearily sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor.

The playfulness in Kim's face and voice disappeared as she watched her protector sit down hard on her bedroom floor. "Why are you doing this, Shego?" she asked, her pain evident in her question. "Why are you not accepting me?"

Shego shook her head and refused to look at her charge. "It's not that simple, Kimmie," she told the girl. "Do you honestly believe that things will work out between the two of us?" she spat. "We're two completely different people! Don't you care about your reputation? People will look down on you and maybe even hate you for being with someone like me!" she said rather bitterly.

"But I don't care about that," Kim answered, getting on her knees.

"Yes you do!" Shego shouted, emerald green eyes ablaze. "Don't you understand? We cannot be together! I won't allow it!" She wrenched away from that pained gaze. "Besides, there are some things about me that will surely dissuade you," the villainess added, hoping that her outlook on love and relationships would dissuade the younger woman.

"I don't care, Shego," Kim pressed, shuffling forward on her knees. "Whatever it is you're hiding, I will still accept you for who you are." She reached out with her hands towards Shego's face only for them to be caught in her protector's hands.

"You won't like it," Shego specified, still not looking at her charge.

Kim sat back on her heels, but did not let go of Shego's hands. "Try me," she said determinedly, thinking that she could do and handle anything just as her motto said.

The villainess slowly turned to face front and locked eyes with the redhead. "You wouldn't want me, princess," Shego told her seriously. "I'm not some innocent unattached woman who believes that you should give yourself up when you're married." She shrugged her shoulders knowing that she hit a nerve. She and Kim were on opposite ends of the spectrum, be it at good and evil or at being traditional or liberal. "I don't believe that uptight and moralistic manner of yours will ever accept me."

The auburn-haired girl lost her grip on Shego's hands. So Enzo had been right about his best friend. Shego was indeed… liberal in a more muted description. Honestly, it did bother her a bit that she was about to confess her feelings to her arch nemesis who happened to have the opposite ideals and principles regarding love and relationships. It also pricked her that if she did push through with dating Shego, she was obviously not the first on the list and there was also the fact that Shego was heavily against long term relationships. Kim inwardly sighed as she thought about how unadulterated her relationship was with Ron. At least her best friend was also a first timer at the relationship game and believed in loyalty to one's partner. "Alright… it does bother me that you've had… multiple partners and none of them have been serious and long term," she admitted.

Shego let out a bitter laugh. "Princess, why would I want a serious and long term relationship? It's not an ideal setup when you're consistently on the most wanted list of criminals. It's a hassle to keep and maintain a relationship for emotional purposes." She defiantly met Kim's eyes. "I'm just into the physical aspect." She leaned back against the wall in a resigned manner. "Now I'm asking you, why would you want to date your arch nemesis who has slept around with numerous partners including her best friend and isn't inclined to getting into a long term relationship?"

This time around Kim gasped. "You had sex with Enzo?" she asked in shock.

Shego laughed again. "I was dead drunk," she simply explained. "That night when he was about to leave…" A sad gleam came to her eyes. "Well, alcohol had that kind of effect on me in the past."

"Do really think I'm so concerned about who you are or your past, Shego?" Kim asked, shuffling forward until her knees were in contact with Shego's shins. "People can change… even you. I still want to try." The voice she used shook with emotion.

With those words, Shego's inner being was suddenly turned into turmoil.

Her heart wrenched ever so painfully as she finally forced herself to look into those jade green orbs. She never thought that she was capable of feeling this awful amalgam of emotions being the villain she is. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way... It was just a job! A job that she took with much reluctance in all honesty. The infamous Shego, master thief and mercenary and of former glory of Team Go was only in it for the huge paycheck offered to her if she took the job. Well... There was also the other side deal that would give her immunity from the police and to some extent partial immunity from Global Justice. But those eyes! Even her will of stone, smooth and impenetrable, could not enable her to rip her gaze away from those jade green orbs filled with confusion and expectance. She had been found out and now she had to pay the price. She couldn't afford to be swayed by these trifling feelings within her... She just could not.

"Princess... Please... I can't," Shego whispered, her tone of voice a mixture of harshness and bordering begging. She was sitting on the ground, limply leaning against the wall of Kim's bedroom. "I must not," she reiterated, her voice falling as her arch nemesis kneeled between her outstretched legs on the floor.

"I have to know, Shego," the redhead said softly. "There's something I have to find out."

"There is _nothing_, Kimmie." The pale green-hued villainess finally wrenched away from that piercing gaze. It had already become unbearable for her to be subjected to this kind of treatment. She hated it that she was showing weakness especially in front of the very person who induced it.

"Just this once, Shego." She inched closer, hands travelling slowly upward, lightly gliding across the smooth pale green skin of the older woman's cheeks. "Let me be the judge of that."

Then... Shego was engulfed by an intense heat... Innocence and sweetness twined with each other in a sunburst of heat, almost believing that it was even hotter than her powers of plasma. The raven-haired villainess willed herself to pull away from the delight-filled sunburst. She could not go down this path. It would never happen because of the sole reason that they were from different worlds. She had to remind the hero that the order of things will remain... that they exist on extreme sides like opposite sides of a coin and that nothing can be done to change it.

She did the first and only thing that came into her mind… she bolted up to her feet and ran. Shego ran across the bedroom, flung the door open and sprinted down the hallway towards the stairs. Instead of running down the stairs, the villainess utilized her acrobatic prowess and leaped down from one landing to another until she reached the ground. Striding towards the main doors, she too flung these open and ran outside into the chilly night. Not knowing where she was going, the ex-hero ran around the house and towards the small forest at the back of the mansion.

_Why?_ Shego thought, lighting up her hands and letting them collect power. "Why did I have to let myself go like that?" she roared, burying her alit fists into the nearest tree. Bark sprayed onto her face and body as the trunk splintered apart. "Why the hell did I let my guard down?" she shouted to the skies as she punched and kicked at anything around her. "I can't love her!" she let out in anguish. "It will never work out!" Falling onto her knees, she brought her face up to the skies. "Arghh! Why the hell did I agree to take this job?!"

As the night's wind chilled her body, Shego sat limply against her heels as she seriously began to think about what had happened. She looked down at her bare hands and remembered that time she had held Kim's hand when she helped her apprehend Motor Ed and his accomplices. She remembered that time when she held Kim against her body, warming her when they were trapped in a cave during a snowstorm. She remembered those times Kim had inadvertently stared at her and how she had teased the redhead for doing so. Did she tease her because she may have known all along? Her hands clenched into fists on her lap.

Shego had to acknowledge Kim's feelings and also consider her own feelings as well. Deep within, she yearned for those feelings felt by those committed in a relationship even though she was never emotionally involved in whatever relationship she got into. She had always doubted that she would ever get into a serious relationship of the sort, but she had felt the beginnings of those feelings whenever she was with Kim. The palpitation of her heart, the way that she engrained in her mind what the scent of Kim is, all those times she went out of her way to help, rescue and protect Kim, and that giddy-like warmth that she felt spread within her whenever she touched the younger girl. She had to face it… she was in love with her arch nemesis.

"Why the hell is my life so fucking complicated?" Shego muttered as she pushed herself onto her feet and headed back to the mansion. She realized now that seeing Kim in pain made her feel pain as well. The look on Kim's face when she had bolted away from her after being kissed was the worst yet. She knew that she had to do something about especially since she has decided to return the feelings of younger woman.

Nearing the back of the mansion, Shego thought about going around to the front and entering through the main door but decided not to. Seeing that there was light shining through the window of the row of dark windows on the third floor, Shego guessed that Kim was probably still awake and sulking. Checking the walls for hand and foot holds, the villainess spotted that she could enter Kim's bedroom through her room's balcony doors. Deciding that she was prepared, Shego leaped up and began to scale the mansion up to the third floor bedroom. It took her less than a minute to arrive at her destination. Quietly, Shego vaulted over the balcony rail and landed on the floor on the tips of her toes. Testing the French doors, Shego smiled to herself when they opened willingly and silently for her.

Slipping inside the warm room, Shego could hear the sounds of whimpering from the bed. She should have expected it. The things she said to Kim and her running away from her charge's true feelings were bad enough to make her cry. Sighing inwardly, Shego closed the French doors behind her and locked them, producing an audible click.

"Who's there?" The redhead asked with a sob, sitting up on her bed and looking around. Her jade-green orbs widened as they made contact with those familiar emerald green eyes filled with sorrow. "Shego?"

The villainess crossed her arms over her chest and looked ashamed. "Maybe I was too close-minded," she admitted, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Close-minded enough to think that the things that I've done and how I am as a person would make you veer away from me." She walked over to the bed, sat on the edge and cupped one tear-stained cheek with her hand. "I feel stupid for having made you cry like this." Her thumb gently rubbed the skin underneath Kim's left eye.

"Shego…" Kim whispered, feeling her face grow hot as her arch nemesis leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. "Shego…" it came out softer as she closed her eyes and felt her protector kiss her eyelids.

The villainess sighed as she pulled away and gently gripped Kim's chin with her fingers, tilting her head backward. "I'm not going to lie and say that things won't be difficult for us, princess," Shego remarked, smiling down at her still tearing charge. "We're bound to get into a lot of arguments and fights, but if you're willing to accept my flaws then let's both hope that you and I are making the right decision." She leaned down slightly and touched their foreheads together. "I'll be yours, princess," she said in a soft and intense voice. "As you will be mine," she continued, finally leaning down all the way and capturing the lips of her lover for the first time.


	13. Resolving and Clearing Things Up

_Chapter 13: Resolving and Clearing Things Up_

Was it all a dream? Kim blinked up at the ceiling of her room and rubbed her sleep-filled eyes. It could not have been a dream. Her fingers travelled up her chest, touching upon her chin then pressed lightly against her slightly swollen lips. The redhead rolled over to her side and gazed at the emptied space of her bed. It could not have been a dream because she was sure that someone slept at her side that night. The image spurred on by her mind as she thought back to the previous night was the raven-haired woman with pale green skin, snapping emerald-green eyes and that wicked smile.

The teen hero sighed and slowly sat up. She could lay there and continue to ask those questions or she could head downstairs and get the answers herself. As she rummaged through the closet for clothes, Kim looked over to her bedside dresser and saw that the digital clock read quarter to ten. She hoped that Enzo and her protector were still downstairs at the dining room as she trudged into the large bathroom and began to freshen up.

Five minutes later, Kim was trotting down the stairs and heading towards the dining room as she busily ran her fingers through her damp hair. The servants she encountered throughout her short journey greeted her cheerfully and informed her that their master and Shego were still in the dining room. The teen hero thanked them and hurried to get to the room. In her excitement and nervousness, she burst through the doors and skidded across the floor until her body halted a few feet away from the table.

"Good morning," Enzo greeted her with a warm and knowing smile. He jerked his head towards the other end of the table before turning around and whispering an order into Antonio's ears.

As the head servant and a few of his co-workers complied with the command and exited the room, the redhead struggled to control her embarrassment and turned to look at the other end of the table. There she was still dressed in the green wifebeater shirt and loose black pants she wore the other night. Kim timidly looked into her protector's face and searched for the proof that would assure her of what happened the other night. Her jade-green eyes flicked nervously from side to side as she tried to decide her course of action. Then she saw the blank and hard expression on her protector's face soften while she raised her hand and crooked her fingers at her.

"Get over here, princess," Shego ordered, raising an impatient eyebrow at her charge when she failed to move. "What's the matter? Is there lead in that butt of yours?" Gone were the sweet words she had used the other night.

Kim swallowed hard and walked around the table until she stood in front of the villainess who had pushed her chair away from the table so that she could get a better look at her charge. The teen hero still could not bring herself to speak as she tried to hide the trembling of her hands by rubbing her forearm and hiding the other one behind her back.

Shego leaned back against her chair and languidly crossed her arms over her chest. "You're acting really weird this morning," she remarked, hiding her amused smile by faking a yawn and covering her mouth with one hand. "Why so timid, pumpkin?" she teased, reaching out, taking hold of Kim's hand and easing the younger girl onto her lap. "Don't tell me. You thought that everything that happened the other night was just a fantasy that over-creative head of yours came up with."

A shy smile formed on Kim's lips while she glanced over to where Enzo sat. The young man seemed to be busying himself with the morning paper. "It is still a little bit hard to believe," she admitted, still feeling a bit unsure.

"Remember what I said last night?" Shego asked, snaking her arms around Kim's waist settling her hands on the small of her back.

Kim grinned and nodded her head. "The whole 'I'll be yours and you'll be mine' thing?"

Shego scowled deeply realizing how cheesy those words sounded. "You better keep that to yourself," she threatened. "I just remembered how I hate being cheesy," she added in a hurry, pale green cheeks turning red. "I don't usually say those kinds of things and they always leave a bad taste in my mouth."

"It was sweet of you," Kim said, snuggling into her new lover's embrace and breathing in her scent. "I like the different Shego." She nuzzled Shego's neck. "Say it again," she said, her voice muffled since her face was pressed against the older woman's neck.

"Say what?"

"What you said to me last night," Kim replied.

Shego scowled, glancing over at Enzo and catching him looking at them. "I won't repeat myself, Kimmie," Shego muttered, taking hold of her charge's chin with her fingers and gently making her look up at her. "I will say this though," she said, green eyes serious. "Being mine means that you'll be mine _alone._" She let go of Kim's chin and lightly traced a figure on the girl's cheek. "You do understand what I'm talking about right?"

Kim nodded and swallowed hard. "You mean Ron," she said softly.

"We're not going to get anywhere with the buffoon still around," Shego told her. "You'll get the chance to do that after today." She pushed Kim off her lap and got to her feet. "We're going back to Go City tomorrow morning," she informed her.

"Tomorrow? What are we going to do today then?"

"Pack," Shego replied, walking to the head of the table and ruffling Enzo's hair. "Enzo here refuses to keep the clothes he purchased for us." She made a face at the lopsided grin on the heir's face.

"After packing then?" Kim asked, seating herself at the table and allowing the servants to set her meal in front of her.

"We're off to visit my mother," Shego answered, giving Enzo one last punch on the arm before making her way towards the door. "We've got a lot of explaining to do and my mother is the closest person right now." Shego stopped beneath the doorway and glanced over her shoulder. "I figured that if I'm going to force you to explain our relationship to your mom, then we should also explain to my own mom too." She winked at the redhead and left her best friend and her lover alone in the dining room.

Enzo cleared his throat and put down his newspaper. "I take it things went well last night?" he asked in a teasing voice, releasing a chuckle when the teen hero started to blush. "Anything interesting that happened?"

"Nothing that you're expecting," Kim answered, placing her hands on her flaming cheeks. They had only kissed each other the other night. She didn't remember how long it lasted and she also didn't remember what time she fell asleep. "It's a bit too early in the relationship to be doing _that!"_ she pointed out to the heir.

"My apologies then," the heir said. "I'd like to congratulate you though. Shannon's quite a passionate lover."

Kim gawked at him. "Are you speaking from experience?" she demanded.

"Huh? Are you referring to that time when we were still in college?" Enzo shook his head vigorously. "Please! My mind was too boggled up from how drunk I was that night," he assured the redhead. "I don't even recall how it happened. I only realized what happened when I woke up naked in Shannon's bed with her right next to me." He shuddered. "Not quite a nice experience, mind you."

"What happened?"

Enzo smiled sheepishly at her. "Well, if I had not calmed her down, she would have thrown me out of her room without a piece of clothing on me not to mention I would have had serious burns all over my body." A deep frown formed on his face as he thought back to that day. "I had to drop down from her second floor window to the ground so that I wouldn't get caught by the dormitory mistress or any of the other female dormers." He shook his head ruefully at the memory. "We talked about it I guess and we decided to put it behind us."

"Are you sure you don't remember a thing that happened that night?" Kim was curious.

Enzo shook his head. "Nothing at all. If you want to find out how Shannon is in bed, then you have to find out on your own," he told her with a wink. "So she was right when she claimed that you turned red easily!" Enzo laughed as the teen hero hid her face in her hands. "Don't mind me. I'm just rather happy that the two of you are at the start of a beautiful relationship," he said, going back to his morning paper and allowing the redhead to eat her meal.

Kim was just about ready to leave the table to find her protector when the raven-haired woman walked into the dining room dressed in black jeans, a plain white t-shirt and her new leather jacket. In one of her protector's hands, she held the keys to their rented car and her shades while the other held the coat that she had given to Kim for Christmas. "We're leaving already?" The teen hero got out of her chair and walked towards her lover.

Shego nodded and put her shades on. "The earlier we get to the corporation, the better the chance that we get mom to ourselves," she told her charge as she handed the coat over then proceeded to zip her leather jacket up. "She is the chief executive officer and has a very busy schedule although I'm sure she'll make time for us," she added. To Enzo, she said, "I'll see you later right Enzo?"

"That would depend on the time," the heir replied from his seat at the table. "Just give my cellphone a ring." He waved goodbye to the pair and went back to reading his newspaper.

The villainess let out a chuckle and led Kim out of the mansion. "Ready to go?" she asked the girl when they reached the parked Mazda RX-8.

"I'm not sure, but let's go ahead anyway," Kim answered, boarding the vehicle and strapping herself in as her protector did the same and ignited the engines. They remained silent for the next ten minutes of the ride before Kim finally spoke up. "How will your mom react… to us?" she asked, feeling a little bit worried. Leila Go seemed to be a really easygoing person, but she had no idea how she would react to her daughter having a relationship with a woman.

Shego shrugged her shoulders as she navigated the car through the late morning traffic. "You've got me there," she answered. "I'd like to think that my mom's quite liberal, but it may depend on the situation especially since the specific situation we're going to be presenting to her involves her own daughter." There was a grim smile on her face as her hands unconsciously tightened their hold on the steering wheel.

Kim saw how nervous her lover was and gently placed a reassuring hand on Shego's arm. "We'll be together anyway when we talk to her," she pointed out with a shaky smile. She didn't want to think about the possibility that Shego's mother would throw a fit because of their relationship. Ten more minutes on the road and they finally pulled to a stop in front of a large building. After Shego parked their car, they both made their way inside and stopped at the front desk.

"Is my mother in?" Shego asked the woman seated behind the desk who looked up at the villainess in surprise. "I know we're supposed to have an appointment, but this is an important impromptu visit," she explained.

"I'll see what I can do," the woman told them, picking up the phone and speaking quickly into the receiver. After a few moments, she dropped the phone and looked at the two women before her. "Miss Leila Go has agreed to meet with you. Her next meeting isn't for another thirty minutes so she has time to accommodate the both of you." She gestured at a nearby elevator. "Take this elevator. It'll bring you straight to her office."

Shego nodded her thanks and towed Kim into the elevator. As they waited for the elevator to take them to her mother's office, she could not help but notice how fidgety Kim had become. "Relax princess," she ordered, tipping her shades down so that she could regard her young lover. "How bad could it be?"

"Like real bad?" Kim guessed, running shaky fingers through her auburn hair as the elevator doors opened.

The raven-haired woman let out a long sigh as she stepped out of the elevator. "Come on, Kimmie," she said, holding out her hand to the younger girl. "If my mom does react badly, I'm sure I could protect the both of us," she assured her, smiling as the redhead quickly walked to her side and twined their fingers together. "I'm not that willing to give you up, you know."

Together and hand in hand, the hero and the villainess walked into the empty office and sat themselves on a couch set against the wall adjacent to the chief executive officer's desk. While Shego bounced one knee up and down during the wait, Kim lightly nibbled the tip of her thumb. Five minutes had not gone by when the ebony-brown haired Leila Go marched into her office with a stack of documents.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized, walking around her desk and depositing the stack of documents on it. "I asked my secretary to pick up the documents I'll need for my first meeting of the day, but she's stuck in traffic so I had to do it myself."

"It's alright mom," Shego told her mother who continued to bustle about behind her desk. "We should be the ones apologizing for dropping by so suddenly without informing you." They waited for a few more minutes until the older woman settled in her chair and leaned her arms on the table's surface. Before Shego could open her mouth to begin her explanation, her mother already had a smirk on her face.

"So you finally dug yourself out of that pit of denial you made for yourself," Leila addressed her daughter. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to realize your true feelings." She smiled reassuringly at the nervous teen hero at her daughter's side. "Did you think I was that ignorant not to notice?"

Shego shook her head and pressed her fingers against her forehead. "How did you know and since when?" she demanded, feeling relief course through her body.

"I figured that something was going on even before you took on the job of protecting Kim," Leila replied, clasping her hands together. "The way you excitedly and even constantly talked about your arch nemesis whenever we'd talk on the phone gave me an inkling that you were starting to have feelings for this girl."

Shego slumped lower into her seat. "How embarrassing," she muttered, feeling Kim tighten her hold around her hand. She grinned crookedly at her charge and shook her head. "I didn't realize that I talked so much about you to her," her eyes flicked over at her amused mother.

"She kept saying that you were one of the best fighters out there and her only real rival," Leila pointed out. "Shannon would always tell me that there was never any real challenge presented to her until you would show up and try to save the day."

"Mom," Shego complained, waving a hand at her. "You don't have to tell her that!"

"She has the right to know especially since the two of you are together," Leila said. "Now, you're here to receive my blessing?" she asked. "I have nothing against this relationship of yours so do as you please." To Kim, she said, "Take care of my daughter alright and don't let her run you ragged."

"Shouldn't you be giving that advice to me?" Shego demanded, letting go of Kim's hand and getting to her feet. "I am the one who's taking care of her!" she pointed out in annoyance.

Leila chuckled as she got to her feet and walked around her desk to stand before her daughter. "I have no doubt that you'll be able to take care of your princess, Shannon," she told her only daughter, reaching up and affectionately caressing Shego's cheek. "I heard from Enzo that you'll be leaving tomorrow." She held out her arms and looked expectantly at the villainess. "I have to get going to my meeting so give me a hug and kiss since I won't be able to see you off tomorrow."

While Shego did as her mother bid her to do, Kim got to her own feet and waited patiently for the mother and daughter to finish with their goodbyes. Like Shego, she too was greatly relieved that Leila Go had easily accepted their new relationship. She had not expected it to go so smoothly, but then again the woman was Shego's mother. It would mostly likely be a completely different story for her parents.

"Your turn!" Leila's voice broke the teen hero out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Kim blinked at the older woman whose arms were still stretched out. She continued to stare at Shego's mother until Shego herself pushed her towards that waiting embrace.

Leila hugged the shorter girl briefly before pulling away and placing both of her hands on each of Kim's shoulders. "Now, if you need help or you're in some kind of trouble, be sure to give me a call," she told her. "From what Shego told me, you're going to be heading back to Go City then riding down to Middleton to visit your parents. If things go badly with you mother, give me a call and I'll see what I can do."

Kim nodded her head and stepped forward to hug Leila. "Thanks for being so understanding," she said gratefully.

"Take care of yourself," Leila told the redhead. "When you come back to London, be sure to stay over at my home the next time around," she told Shego who could only grin sheepishly at her. "I would have expected my daughter to seek refuge at my home first before going to her friend for help." She ushered them out of her office and waited for them to board the elevator. "Have a safe trip!" She waved goodbye to them as the doors slid shut.

Shego leaned heavily against the elevator's wall. "That's one down and three to go," she sighed, fixing the collar of her leather jacket.

"Three more?"

"My dad, your parents and your buffoon boyfriend," Shego enumerated. "We'll save your boyfriend for the last and I won't be able to accompany you when you talk to him."

"Why not?" Kim demanded, stepping out onto the lobby when the elevator door slid open.

Shego shook her head. "I'm sure you'll be able to break it to him without my help," she told her lover. "The worst that could happen is that he'll faint from the shock," she guessed, smiling at the frown on Kim's face. "It's likely to happen!"

"Knowing Ron, he'd most likely react that way," Kim agreed as she and Shego thanked the lady at the front desk before heading outside. "As for my parents, I'm rather nervous to tell them. I seriously have no idea how both my mom and dad will react when they find out," she confided to Shego. "The tweebs would most likely make a fuss and tease me to death about it. They might even go as far as documenting us together and posting it on the internet."

"A little threat can resolve that," Shego replied, lighting up her hands with her power and extinguishing them. "Since we're done doing the important things today, let's go sightseeing before we leave tomorrow."

"We're going sightseeing?" Kim clarified excitedly.

"Do I have to repeat every word I say to you?" Shego demanded in a huff. "And why must you keep asking questions?"

Kim grinned and quickly pecked her lover on her cheek before her protector could voice out more of her complaints. "Shall we go then?" She hopped into the passenger seat of their car and waited patiently for the other woman to get inside.

Shego rubbed the back of her neck as she gazed up at the skies. "Let's get going then, princess," she said, getting into the driver's seat and driving the car out of the corporation's compound.

"Are you sure I can't convince the both of you to stay until after New Year's Day?"

"Why are you being all depressed?" Shego asked with a laugh. It was the following morning and both Shego and Kim were about to leave Enzo's estate for the airport. "I doubt that you'll be feeling lonely when Kim and I leave," she said in a teasing voice. "I'm sure a certain lady will be coming over a lot after what happens later."

Enzo let out an uneasy laugh. "I'll be sure to call you up and give you a detailed account as you requested," he told his best friend, stepping forward and giving her a fierce hug. "You take care of yourself Shannon and treat your lover right." He pulled away and allowed the villainess to mess up his hair and slap him on the back before turning to Kim. "Well, it was definitely a pleasure Kim," he began, smiling down on her.

Kim nodded her head in agreement and gave the older man a hug of her own. "If it weren't for you, things wouldn't have turned out this way," she told him, voice slightly shaking. "I really appreciate all the advice you gave me."

Enzo beamed at the redhead and gently patted Kim's head. "Think nothing of it," he replied. "Now, I know I wasn't of much help when you asked me about Shego being good in-" he could not finish his sentence due to a hand clamping over his mouth.

"Enzo!" Kim exclaimed, blushing furiously. "Please! That's not needed anymore! I'll find out myself!" She glanced over at Shego and forced a smile.

"What about me being good in what?" Shego asked. "I'm good at a lot of things so I might as well tell you that whatever it is that you and Enzo are wondering about, then I'm definitely good at that too!" she claimed. "Why are the both of you blushing like crazy?" Shego demanded with a scowl despite feeling overly amused at the display. "Whatever," she huffed out when Kim and Enzo shook their heads furiously. "I'm getting into the car." She waved her fingers one last time at Enzo before heading outside of the mansion.

Enzo let out an amused sigh. "You better get going then," he told Kim. "You picked to be with an overly impatient woman after all." He led Kim to the door and stood at the top of the steps as Kim boarded the rented Mazda RX-8. "Antonio! Be sure to get them to the airport safely and return the car for Shego at the rental place," he called out to his head servant who volunteered to drive the pair to the airport that morning.

"You need not worry, sir," Antonio assured the heir.

"Take care then!" Enzo waved to them from the door and watched as Antonio drove the car down the path and past the opened gates. "I hope things go well for those two," he mused before heading back inside.

"Ready for this?" Shego asked her lover as she turned the engines of her Ducati bike off. After arriving at the Go City airport, the villainess picked up her bike and drove the both of them to the airbase her father commanded. The talk with the Lieutenant General was significantly longer especially since he was the more traditional and conservative of the parents.

Kim shuddered as she dismounted from the bike. "After the talk with your dad, I don't think I'm ready to speak with my parents," she said. She had been completely terrified as she was subjected to the interrogation of the military man. Even with Shego's presence and constant defense of her, Kim was still scared witless with the brisk and hard handling of the general. "I'm sure now that he doesn't like me."

Shego laughed and shook her head. "Dad's always been like that to anybody who gets involved with me," she explained. "It doesn't really matter to him if it's just a friend or someone who's serious about courting me." As she balanced her helmet on the seat of her bike, the villainess caught the strange look Kim was giving her. "What's with that look?" she demanded.

"Courting?" Kim blurted out.

The villainess rolled her eyes. "If we weren't lovers, I would have considered that an insult," she told the girl in a hostile tone. "What did you think of me? Anti-social? Unattractive?" she demanded, smirking at the last description she mentioned. "I've had my fair share of courters Kimmie and they all went through my dad just as you did." The ex-hero rubbed her chin in thought. "Although all of them failed his painstaking interrogation," she added. "You're actually the first to pass along with Enzo who was interrogated due to a wrong assumption on the part of my dad."

"Did you ever have a serious relationship?" Kim asked her new lover.

"Just courters, Kimmie," Shego reassured the redhead. "None of the boys never really caught my eye anyway." She looked sidelong at the hero and smirked. "Although there were quite a few fan girls who'd follow me around especially when I went into the superhero business," she added, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I bet you enjoyed those female courters of yours," Kim muttered darkly.

"Oh I sure did. Quite a lot of them were pretty girls and taller than a certain someone," Shego remarked.

Kim let out an angry huff. "Well sorry for not being up to your standards!" She walked ahead of Shego and trudged towards the front door of her home.

"You get too defensive easily, princess," Shego chuckled as she followed her charge, standing behind the shorter girl as she rang the doorbell. "You don't need to worry though," she leaned her head down slightly to whisper into Kim's ear. "None of them can keep up with me in a fight and they're not as fun to tease compared to you."

Before Kim could scold her protector, the villainess had pulled away and the door swung open to reveal her twin brothers. "Hey guys," she greeted her younger brothers. "Are mom and dad home?" She walked in after her brothers with Shego following closely behind her after closing the door.

"Dad's in the study and mom's in the kitchen," Jim informed his older sister, elbowing Tim. "Come on! Let's get back to our invention!" He and his twin scurried up the stairs as Dr. James Possible came out of his study.

"Hey Kimmie-cub!" James gave his eldest daughter a broad smile. "Hello Shego," he greeted the villainess in a slightly more formal manner. "I didn't expect the both of you to be back so soon." He led both women to the couch in their living room. "Did you come over to pick up some of your things to bring back to Go City?"

Kim shook her head as she sat down on the couch and patted the empty space to her left. "Actually, I need to discuss something with you and mom," she told her dad as Shego reluctantly settled herself on the couch. "Where is mom anyway?" she wondered aloud.

"In the kitchen, honey," the neurosurgeon's voice called out from the other room. "Give me a few minutes!"

James Possible sat on one of the armchairs and stretched his legs out on the floor. "So tell me about your trip to London. You only mentioned to us that you and Shego were going there to draw some of the attention away from the both of you."

Kim knew better than to look at the raven-haired woman at her side. "Oh we stayed over at Shego's college buddy's home," she told her dad.

"College buddy?" James queried looking a bit surprised. "No don't get me wrong, Shego," he told the villainess when she shot a look at him. "I know you have a degree in education, but I never asked which university you attended and graduated from."

"Go University," Shego told him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was born and raised in Go City after all," she added with a hint of sarcasm.

"Shego…" Kim warned, wishing that her protector would behave enough so that she could explain the situation without any added trouble.

"So who's this college buddy you stayed with?" James prodded.

"Lorenzo Sinclair," Kim answered, covering a smile that formed on her lips when the rocket scientist's eyes bulged at the mention of Enzo's name. "You've heard of him before, dad?"

James cleared his throat and nodded his head. "He's of course considered as one of the richest heirs in the world and the ideal bachelor who's being sought for by countless women." To Shego, he said, "I'm quite surprised that you're good friends with him."

"As Kim mentioned earlier, we were college buddies." Shego shrugged her shoulders and continued to check her nails. "And he won't be a bachelor for long," she added with a smile. "It should be out on the news by now or you'll hear about it by tomorrow."

"Would the media really find out and announce Enzo's engagement to Kaileena?" Kim asked, smiling over at her dad who was about to ask the same question.

Shego nodded her head. "He is quite famous in the business world and his father is of British nobility so I'm assuming that he gets regular media attention," she explained. "I just realized though how surprising it is that Enzo's parents didn't arrange a marriage for him." The villainess tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear.

"That's a good thing at least on the part of Enzo," Kim pointed out and got to her feet as her mother walked into the room. "Hi mom," she greeted her with a hug.

Ann Possible hugged her daughter back and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "It's nice to see you so soon again especially since your classes will be starting soon." She walked over to her husband's seat and perched herself on the arm of the chair. "Hello Shego," she greeted the villainess with a warm smile. "I actually got a call from Leila a few days ago."

"Mom called you up?" Shego asked, wondering why her mother would call up the neurosurgeon.

Ann nodded. "She just wanted to extend her holiday greetings and ask how I was doing," she explained, putting an arm around her husband's shoulders while James snaked an arm around her waist. To Kim, she asked, "She told you that we met while I was still a med student?"

"She mentioned it," Kim answered, remembering the dinner she and Shego attended. "What were you doing at Go City Hospital anyway at that time?"

"Something like an exchange student program," Ann told her daughter. "We were shipped off to different hospitals all over the country for a month or so." She shook her head at the memory and focused her attention on her daughter. "Anyway, you came over to talk about something with us?"

Kim nodded her head and took in a long and shaky breath. Up until now, she thought she had everything figured out particularly how she was going to bring up the topic with her parents. Now, her thoughts were a mess and she struggled to start the conversation.

"Is it hard to start?" Ann asked, a look of worry forming on her face.

Kim gave her mom a small smile. "It is rather hard to say," she said, clasping her hands together to hide their shaking. She wished she could get Shego to support her, but she didn't want to bring her into the conversation too early. She had to do this on her own just like what Shego did with her own parents. "Mom, dad," she began, looking them straight in the eye. "You've always told me from the start that I should be honest with myself especially when I went into the crime fighting business." She took in another deep breath and felt her knee begin to bounce involuntarily. "You knew that the popularity and the fame would be potential factors that would affect my attitude and personality, but you've always managed to keep me grounded as a person."

"Kimmie-cub…"

The redhead shook her head at her dad. "It worked at least. I never let the fame and popularity get to me," she told them. "I'd also like to believe that I have been honest with myself but…" she paused, struggling to come up with the right words to say. "Recently, I realized that I haven't been quite honest at all."

"What are you trying to say, Kim?" Ann asked her daughter, looking more anxious as every minute passed. "You're rambling," she told her in a gentle manner.

Kim gave her parents a shaky smile. "I originally wanted to keep this a secret from the both of you, but then that would have been wrong." She gazed seriously into one pair of worried sapphire-blue eyes and another pair of green eyes. "You see… I think I'm-"

"Pregnant?!" James Possible blurted out, eyes nearly bulging out at the thought. "I thought you talked to her about this, honey!" he told his wife who looked just as flustered as her husband.

"But I did!" Ann answered. "She's nineteen and I expected that she knew the potential consequences of premarital sex especially since she and Ron have been together since the end of their junior year!" She got out of her seat and began to pace on the living room floor. "Well at least I expected her to know," she murmured to herself. "How could have this happened?" she asked woefully.

"Now, now honey," James said, also getting to his feet. "We could work our way through this," he told his wife.

Shego rolled her eyes and impatiently tapped her foot against the floor. "Aren't you going to say something?" she whispered to Kim. "They're getting way ahead of themselves and they made the wrong assumption about you." She let out a sigh when her charge could not seem to bring herself to speak. It looked like it was up to her to bring things back to perspective. She cleared her throat loudly and got the attention of Kim's parents. "Sorry, but didn't the two of you realize that you didn't let Kim finish what she was saying?"

The husband and wife blinked at each other then stared at their daughter. "So you aren't pregnant?" Ann asked.

Kim shook her head. "I'm not," she told them.

"So what is it then?" Ann settled herself once again on the arm of the armchair. "At least it can't be as bad being pregnant," she said, the worry still evident in her voice.

Kim took a deep breath and forced herself to keep eye contact with her parents. "I think I'm a lesbian," she told them seriously, ignoring the disgruntled look on Shego's face.

"What?" Both Ann and James stared at their daughter with their mouths slightly open.

"So you _think _you're a lesbian?" Shego interrupted, raising her eyebrows at Kim who scowled at her.

"But Kim, you've been with Ron for over a year now," Ann pointed out, disbelief on her face. "How could you possibly be a lesbian and who have you been seeing?" she demanded.

James Possible closed his mouth and gave his daughter a stern look. "Answer your mother's questions," he ordered. "You have got a lot of explaining to do young lady. Now tell us who you have been seeing!"

Before the teen hero could reply, she felt Shego put an arm around her shoulders, which gave her a reassuring squeeze. The villainess smiled softly at her lover before turning to face her charge's parents. "Is this enough of an answer for you?" she asked in her usual mocking tone.

"You're involved in a lesbian relationship with your bodyguard?" Ann demanded, looking like she was about to faint. "What have you done?" The question was directed at the green-hued woman.

James Possible's hands were trembling violently as he ran his fingers through his graying hair. "I knew this was a bad idea!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at the emotionless Shego. "I should have known that you would play with my daughter's mind and manipulate her into becoming a toy for you! Now you've made her think that she's a lesbian and in love with you! This is intolerable!"

"Actually, I hardly did anything at all," Shego interrupted before any of the parents could continue their tirade. The ex-hero glanced at Kim and motioned for her to explain.

"Mom, dad," Kim began. "Shego had nothing to do with my coming out as a lesbian. Well not in the way you described it," she amended. "She didn't play with my feelings or manipulate my mind or anything. She was just doing her job."

"Then what happened?" Ann asked, pulling her husband down into the armchair and calming herself.

"I-I just started to have these feelings," Kim explained, still feeling nervous around her parents. "Feelings for her I mean." She glanced at her lover and felt herself bathed in warmth when Shego smiled at her. "We've known each other for so long and being put under her care made those feelings develop into something deeper," she told them. "I'm in love with Shego." She reached over and grasped her lover's hand.

While Ann let out a sigh, James got out of his chair and stalked back into his study, closing the door behind him without a word. "Don't Kim," she ordered her daughter when she made a move to follow her dad. "He's taking the news quite hard. Give him time." The neurosurgeon settled herself in the vacated seat and kneaded her temples. "Not meaning this as an insult Shego, but this kind of thing must run in your blood."

"Excuse me?" Shego gave the neurosurgeon a strange look.

"Even if Kim was the one who took the initiative, I'm quite sure that you probably flirted or did something similar to that to get Kim to come out of the closet," Ann explained, smoothing the wrinkles off the front of her doctor's coat. "I clearly remember how your mother teased me when she was kept in the Go City hospital for a few days. Quite embarrassing especially when she found out that I wasn't interested in boys at that time."

Shego gawked at the older woman. "Mom teased you?" she asked incredulously.

"Flirted would be the more appropriate term," Ann corrected. "She did make herself clear that she wasn't serious about her actions, but I speculated that she was having tendencies," she explained, slightly blushing as she recounted the memory to her daughter and her lover. "I figured that she just had fun teasing me and besides she did get married."

"Typical of mom," Shego murmured, she knew from her relatives that her mother had been quite the flirter back then and that she particularly enjoyed teasing girls. "So what's your say about me and Kimmie being together?" she popped the question since Kim didn't seem like she was going to ask on her own accord.

"Hesitant and doubtful, but I'm not close-minded," Ann replied. "As long as my daughter is happy then I don't have anything against her decision to be with you." She looked over to the closed door of the study and released a heavy sigh. "As for your father, he most likely is against this, but I'll try to talk him around," she told the two women. "What about Ron?" she asked Kim who still looked anxious.

"I already called him up earlier and asked him to meet me at the park," Kim replied, wringing her hands together. "I actually need to get going now to meet up with him." She gave her mother an apologetic nod and let Shego pull her up to her feet. "After I talk to Ron, we'll be heading back to Go City," she informed the neurosurgeon. "I'll try to call you up in a few days and see how dad is doing. I really want for him to accept this."

Ann got out of her seat and hugged her daughter. "Well, I was right when I said that it's definitely better than you being pregnant," she said sheepishly, pecking her daughter on the cheek and seeing them out of the house. "I'll give you a call on your kimmunicator when your dad is ready enough to talk," she promised, watching Kim mount the bike behind Shego and put on her helmet. "Take care of yourself!" she told Kim. "And Shego! You better not be distracted from doing your job as Kim's protector!"

"I still want my reward," Shego muttered as she started her engines and cruised down the road towards the neighborhood park. "At least I already got an extra reward," she added, feeling a warm feeling flutter in her stomach as Kim wrapped her arms around her waist and clung onto her throughout the ride. Reaching the park, Shego halted the bike and kept it upright with one foot on the ground as Kim dismounted. "Time for me to lay low while you have your talk," Shego told her lover, reaching out in a rare gesture of affection and caressing Kim's cheek then riding off further down the road and disappearing around a corner.

"Kim!" Ron's voice called out to her from a nearby park bench. The young blonde-haired man shot to his feet, raced over to his girlfriend and enveloped her in a hug. "It's great to see you back so soon!" he exclaimed, giving her his usual goofy smile. "Why'd you decide to have our date here in the park when we could have it in Bueno Nacho?"

The teen hero shook her head, still amused anyway by her boyfriend's love for the aforementioned restaurant. "First of all, I didn't call you out here for a date," she hugged him back and led him back to the bench he was sitting on. "Second, we need to talk about something." She looked Ron over and realized that something was missing. "Where's Rufus?" she asked after patting Ron's pocket and finding it empty.

"Oh I left him to keep Hana company while I went out to meet you here at the park," Ron replied, taking a seat on the bench and waiting for Kim to settle in beside him. "So what do you need to talk about?" he asked.

"Us," Kim answered, not bothering to beat around the bush and forcing herself to look at the forming dread-filled look on Ron's face. "Ron… I've met someone."

"You what?" Ron cried out, twisting in his seat and grabbing Kim's shoulders. "Kim! I thought you said we'd be together forever!"

Kim recoiled at Ron's claim and shook her head vehemently. "Did I ever say that to you?" she asked, racking through her mind if she ever made such a claim. "Even if I did say that to you, that's just plain silly," she told him. "Nothing lasts forever and relationships are not exempt from that fact."

"But Kim!" Ron argued, his grip on her shoulder tightening. "We've been together since pre-K!" His pleading eyes boring into her very being. He couldn't believe that he was just about to lose his girlfriend to some unknown person.

"We've been best friends since pre-K, but we've only been together as a couple for a year," Kim reminded Ron who had been her best friend longer than being her boyfriend. She hoped that she could appeal to Ron's best friend sense. Ron would ultimately feel betrayed by Kim's decision to end their relationship not to mention he would probably be furious when he finds out that she is replacing him for another woman who just happens to be her arch nemesis and protector. "Ron, try to understand!"

"I can't understand Kim!" Ron snapped back. "I don't want to understand!" he added, his grip on Kim's shoulders never loosening. "I don't want to lose you!" His voice was softer as he continued to look pleadingly at his girlfriend. "Kim! Please!" he begged.

Kim flinched as Ron's grip on her shoulders began to hurt. "Ron, it hurts," she told the blonde-haired boy. "Please let go of me." She tried to pry Ron's grip off her shoulders but was unsuccessful. "Ron, don't be stubborn and unreasonable," she told him, flinching once more in pain.

"Sheesh! It's getting distracting to do my job you know!" A familiar voice called out to them from beneath the shade of a nearby tree. "As expected, your buffoon boyfriend is living up to his nickname." The green-hued villainess dusted the snow off her shoulders and pushed herself away from the tree.

Ron finally let go of Kim's shoulders and shot to his feet to glare at the smirking villainess. "You!" He walked around the bench and grabbed the front of Shego's leather jacket. "How could you let her find some other guy and replace me? You're supposed to keep her from doing that!"

Shego scowled deeply at the shorter boy. "First of all, who gave you the stupid idea that I'm supposed to keep Kim from replacing you?" she demanded, gripping both of Ron's wrists and wrenching them away from her jacket. "Second, you're acting like a brat and who the hell made you the boss of your girlfriend's love life?" She hastily straightened the front of her jacket and glared at the boy.

Ron's clenched fists shook at his sides as he directed his attention at Kim who now walked up to them. "How could you? You've betrayed me!" he told Kim in a strangled voice. "Who is it?" he demanded. "Tell me the name of the man who you decided to replace me!"

Feeling fed up with how Ron was reacting, Kim blurted, "There isn't any man, Ron!" She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the ground, kicking at the snow. Try as she might, she could not bring herself to explain any further.

"What are you talking about?" Ron began to laugh. "How could there be someone else when you're claiming that there isn't one! You're contradicting yourself Kim!" He pressed his hands to his stomach and continued to laugh hardily.

Shego had enough. Lighting up one hand with her power, she threw a bolt of green plasma at Ron's feet then made her way to Kim. "How thickheaded are you going be? She's given you so many hints to guess what she's talking about!" The villainess walked around Kim and stood at her back. "I'll give you something that will penetrate through that thick skull of yours!" she remarked with a wry smile. Stepping closer to Kim, Shego snaked her arms around Kim's waist and pulled her against her body. Leaning down slightly, Shego rested her chin on her charge's shoulder then raised her eyebrows at the thoroughly shocked blonde-haired boy. "So you get it?" she asked, pulling away from Kim but keeping her arms around the redhead.

"Y-You chose her over m-me?" Ron sputtered angrily. "I can't believe you! Of all people Kim!" he shouted. "How could you choose your arch nemesis… a woman over me?" he demanded. "She's a criminal and she's tried to kill you before!"

Kim shook her head and placed her hands over Shego's hands, which were still on her stomach. "I know, Ron," she told him, a sad smile on her face. "But I've realized how much Shego plays a role in my life and that I can't continue to ignore and deny these feelings I've been having for the past few years." She gazed seriously at the seething Ron with her jade-green eyes. "I'm in love with Shego," she told him, twining her fingers with Shego's. "This is the only appropriate and fair thing for me to do."

"You're breaking up with me." Ron's shoulders slumped in defeat. "This is so messed up," he muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Crestfallen, he turned on his heel and made his way across the park towards the opposite exit.

"Ron," Kim tried, trying to pull away from Shego's embrace.

Shego shook her head. "Don't bother, princess," she ordered, twirling the redhead around to face her. "You'll just give him ideas if you run back to him and I seriously don't want any of that sort," she said in a warning voice.

"Did you really have to step in like that?" Kim asked, feeling a bit depressed at how badly their talk had gone.

Shego scowled and pulled Kim's coat and shirt away from one of her shoulders. Her emerald green eyes blazed in anger as she caught sight of the developing bruises on Kim's flesh. "He was starting to get annoying and if I didn't do something, you probably would have gotten something more than these bruises here."

"You were watching all along?"

Shego nodded. "I'm still your protector," she reminded her charge. "And I wanted to make sure that nothing bad would happen while you broke the news to him," she added. With a faint smile on her lips, Shego reached up with her hand and cupped Kim's damp cheek. "You're crying," she told her lover, rubbing the pad of her thumb on the skin underneath one leaking eye.

Lips quivering, Kim finally let out a sob and buried her face into Shego's chest.

"I'm still here, princess," Shego shushed the crying redhead as she wrapped her arms around her charge's smaller form and smoothed that flowing mane of auburn hair with a gentle hand. "I'd like to claim that I'm a better a catch than your ex-boyfriend," she added in a joking tone. Shego continued to hold onto Kim until she calmed down enough. Cupping Kim's face in both of her hands, she leaned down and sweetly kissed the teen hero's trembling lips. "Come on, princess," she said, stepping away, taking hold of Kim's hand and towing her towards her parked bike. "Let's head home."

**Author's Notes:**

_**I'm starting to get busy again with my academics so I'll be slowing down with the updates. I've made all my comments at the beginning of this chapter so I don't have much to say here. **_

_**Next chapter: A Date and Getting Closer**_


	14. A Date and Getting Closer

_Chapter 14: A Date and Getting Closer_

"Girl, why are you just telling me this now?" Monique demanded, giving her best girlfriend an astonished look. She had come to Go City at the request of Kim, but had no idea why she was needed. She could only tell by the sound of Kim's voice that it was bordering becoming classified as an emergency.

Kim pressed her fingers against her forehead and looked apologetically at the dark-skinned girl who sat before her. "I was really going to tell you," she mumbled, twirling the straw around in her glass of ice tea. She and Monique had decided to meet up in her favorite café in the Go City Mall for this important discussion.

"Yes but after almost two months have gone by?" Monique uncrossed her legs underneath the table and leaned forward to eye her friend carefully.

"Monique-" Kim tried.

"_Two months_, Kim?" the fashion conscious girl repeated.

The auburn-haired teen hero bowed her head down and stared at her clasped hands set on the surface of the table. "I wasn't sure how I was going to break this to you and I was still coming out of my slight depression over Ron," she started, tilting her face up to look at her friend. "He still hasn't come around ever since I broke up with him. At least my dad already made an effort to accept this." James Possible was still rather skeptical about his daughter's decision, but he promised that he would try to warm up to the idea.

"You broke that boy's heart, Kim," Monique told her in a stern voice. "Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have reacted that way. A normal stab to the heart ended up becoming more painful for him especially since you've replaced him with that psycho, green-skinned criminal who's still your arch nemesis even if you keep telling me that she's your protector!"

"Monique!" Kim put a hand up to calm her friend down. "I know that already, ok?" she told the fashion designer to be. "And Shego's not a psycho!" she protested then let out a sigh. "I'm telling you now Mo," she said. "I really am in love with Shego and I'd like for you to accept my decision. I know I hurt Ron, but it was the only fair thing to do on all our parts." She couldn't make sense of the strange expression on Monique's face. "Please don't be angry with me." It came out more shakily than she thought it would.

"Oh Kim…" Monique breathed out. "How can I be angry at you?" She reached across the table and took Kim's hand in her own. "It definitely would have been better if you told me earlier, but what's done is done." She gave her friend a gentle smile and squeezed the other girl's hand. "No matter how cracked up this looks and feels, I'm behind you all the way!" she promised.

"Thanks Mo," Kim answered, swiping at a forming tear in her eye. "It makes me feel better that you're on my side."

Monique gave the girl one last smile before retracting her hand and leaning back against her chair. "So tell me then," she began, giving Kim a curious look. "How are things going between you and Shego?"

Kim let out a long sigh. "Confusing," she admitted, eyebrows furrowing. "We live together in the same apartment, but it feels like we're not together at all."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I don't know Mo! Shego's been acting more aloof than I thought since we got together!" Kim told the other girl. "I just feel like there should be something more…"

Monique cocked her head to side and carefully looked at the teen hero. "I'm just guessing, but you're referring to the lack of affection?" The forlorn look on the other girl's face told her everything. "What do the two of you do together anyway?" she demanded. "More appropriately, how far have you gone?"

Kim's face flushed crimson at the straightforward questions addressed to her. "M-Mo!" she stammered, not at all sure how she should answer those questions.

"Seriously Kim! You brought it up so let's hear it so that I could help you out!" Monique pressed her.

Not wanting to look at her friend, Kim turned her face away as she softly began to explain. "We kiss sometimes," she told her friend who seemed to have half a smirk and half a smile on her face. "It's rather erratic now that I think about it and sometimes it doesn't really suit the occasion." She traced her lower lip with a finger and felt her face grow hot at thinking about Shego's kisses.

"Maybe you're over thinking this Kim," Monique suggested. "Shego is still your protector after all. Perhaps she's just distracted or preoccupied with her work."

"Yeah, but there has to be something more to our relationship!" Kim blurted out, jade green eyes averting. "Even when I was still together with Ron, we at least went out on dates and the like." She let out another sigh. "I don't know Monique. I guess I just want more attention," she said, smoothing her red hair with a hand.

"And affection you mean?" Monique added with an amused smile. "Are you referring to the verbal or physical kind of affection?" she wondered aloud, laughing at her friend when she turned another shade of red.

"Both of course!" Kim snapped. "But I do want to spend more time with her like how normal couples go," she confided in her friend. "I'm just not too sure how to ask that from Shego and I sometimes get the feeling that she's holding out on me."

Monique drummed her fingers against the table's surface. "Just ask her, Kim," she told her friend. "It won't hurt to ask Shego out on a date or something," she added, suddenly realizing that she had something else to clarify. "By the way, who makes all the moves?" Her friend flushed once again. "Ok… that would be Shego then," she decided. "Kim, you won't get more lovey-dovey time from Shego if you don't make any moves on her."

"B-But Monique!" Kim stuttered.

"Seduce her or something!" The dark-skinned girl laughed at the teen hero and shook her head. "You did say that you feel like she's holding out on you so be more robust and take initiative! Nothing is impossible for a Possible and you could do anything, right?" she advised her friend, glancing at her wristwatch. "Well, looks like I have to get going. I have to catch that return flight back to New York." She got to her feet. "Accompany me until I catch a cab?"

"Sure." Kim got out of her chair and accompanied Monique out of the mall where a line of taxis parked along the street. "Thanks for coming over so suddenly, Monique." She hugged her friend fiercely. "I really appreciate your advice and I will try to do what you suggested," she said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Not a problem Kim," Monique chirped while hugging the redhead back. "I'd do anything for my best girlfriend," she added with a smile. "Next time I come around, you have to introduce me to Shego." She boarded the waiting cab and rolled down the window. "Next time you have something important to say, spit out as soon as possible!"

Kim grinned. "I'll remember that, Mo," she answered, waving goodbye as the cab pulled away from the curb and headed down the road. Checking her surroundings, Kim guessed that her protector was probably already at home waiting for her. "A date wouldn't be so bad," Kim murmured to herself as she began the long walk back to Shego's apartment.

* * *

"Say that again, princess?"

Kim nervously shifted her weight from one foot to another as she stood in front of her seated protector. She knew Monique told her to take initiative, but she couldn't bring herself to ask Shego out on a date on that same day. In the end, it took her three days to gather enough courage and nerve to approach her lover. It was a late Friday afternoon and it seemed to be the perfect time to ask. "Provided that I won't suddenly be called out to a mission, I won't be doing anything tomorrow," she said, locking her hands behind her back.

Shego raised an inquiring eyebrow at her charge and shifted her position on the couch so that she hugged one knee against her chest while the other leg dangled off the edge. "And?" she pressed, wondering what was this about. The month of March was coming up and the weather was starting to warm up little by little. Welcoming the change, she had gone back to wearing her usual house clothes of loose pants and a sleeveless shirt.

"I was wondering if you wanted to… go out," Kim finished, her cheeks tinged red.

Shego stared at her charge as the suggestion sunk in. "Wait a minute," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Are you asking me out on a date?" Honestly, she had not been expecting such a request from Kim especially since they spend almost every waking minute with each other.

The redhead nodded, gazing into Shego's eyes and waiting for her to reply.

Shego scratched her head and began to think deeply about the suggested matter. One of the things that was holding her back from agreeing with her lover was their exposure to the public. Shego still didn't want other people to find out that she was the hired protector of Kim and going out on a date would bring a lot of attention to the both of them. In relation to that, they were both susceptible to rumor and gossip. Shego was sure that she could handle those, but she doubted that Kim would be able to do so too.

"I-If you don't want to, then it's alright," Kim stuttered, a dejected look on her face. "I-I think I'll head upstairs to my room and do my homework." She took a step towards the stairs when a hand suddenly latched around her wrist.

"What's the point of asking a question when you don't even wait to listen for the answer?" Shego growled, feeling a bit irritated at how timid Kim was acting. The irritation aside, the ex-hero still could not bear that dejected look on her lover's face. Two months have gone since they officially became a couple, but they haven't really been acting like one. _How could our relationship be normal anyway?_ Shego pondered as she continued to gaze at her redheaded charge. She let out a rush of breath from her nostrils as her face softened. "What did you have in mind?"

Kim gaped at the villainess and had to slap herself mentally to say something. "You're willing to go out on a date with me?" she asked, skeptical that the raven-haired woman would agree to her behest.

Shego nodded and let go of Kim's wrist. "Why not? We've been cooped up in this apartment for too long anyway," she told her charge. "So if we're to go out tomorrow, where do you plan to go?" She leaned her body to the side so that she could prop her elbow on the armrest.

The redhead mind raced with possibilities, but she wanted to keep it simple since she didn't really have an idea what Shego would like to do on a date. The closest thing to a date that she and the other woman had went on was that time when Electronique had used the attitudinator on Shego. She and Shego had gone out to watch a movie, do some shopping and even eat at Bueno Nacho. Perhaps she should work on that. "We could watch a movie and do some shopping?" she suggested.

Shego rubbed her chin as she processed the suggestion. "The movie sounds fine," she told Kim. "There's an action film out that I've wanted to watch and there's also a decent chick flick if you prefer to watch that one." In reality, the movie theater would ideally provide cover for her since it would be dark inside and more often than not moviegoers would be focused on the screen and not at the people around them. "As for shopping, why would we need to shop? Enzo bought us a whole new wardrobe when we were still staying over at his place in London," she said.

"Right," Kim answered. "Ummm… we could go out for dinner?" she suggested, feeling a bit stupid with all the vague answers she was giving.

Shego was amused either way. "And what do we do in between that then?" she asked, assuming that they were probably going to watch the movie before lunch. "Look, how about we watch the movie around ten to ten-thirty in the morning then have lunch somewhere in the area?" she suggested, remembering that there was a small restaurant she used to go to with her brothers back when they were still on friendlier terms. "I've got something in mind for the late afternoon, dinner and after that, but you have to decide on what to do between lunch and that."

The teen hero thought about it for a moment. "Well, a friend of mine who's an art major told me about this new art gallery that's opening tomorrow. Some of her works are going to be showcased there and quite a lot of local artists will be there." She wasn't so sure if Shego was the type who appreciated art.

"That sounds interesting," Shego said. "What kind of artwork did your friend say would be displayed at the gallery?" She wasn't an art buff, but she still held a deep appreciation for art thanks to her artistic mother.

"All sorts of art," Kim replied a little bit excitedly. "Paintings, sculptures, photographs and the like," she enumerated. "My friend makes sculptures though and from what I know she doesn't exactly use stone or wood for her creations."

Shego nodded her head and felt intrigued. She'd like to see what kind of sculptures Kim's friend made. "So we watch a movie, have lunch, head over to the art gallery opening then we do my thing," she detailed.

"What are we going to do after we visit the art gallery?" Kim asked, curious to know where her protector planned to take her to tomorrow.

"There's a small fair that's going to be held by the beach on the outskirts of Go City," Shego told her. "There'll be booths, games and a small concert in the fair. A dormitory mate of mine back in college is the saxophonist of her jazz and bossa nova band," she explained, covering a yawn with her hand. "We could buy dinner there and then hang out on the beach for a while before we end the day." She hid a smile as she watched Kim's face bloom. "Is that good enough for a date?" she asked.

Kim nodded vigorously. "Yes! I can't wait for tomorrow! I'll go finish as much homework as I can tonight!" She bounded towards the stairs and stopped halfway. Making her way back to Shego, the redhead stood before the green-skinned woman, leaned down and quickly pecked Shego's lips. Face flushing a deep crimson, Kim then turned back around, headed up the stairs and went into her room.

This time it was Shego's turn to do some contemplating as she lightly touched her lips. "Getting a bit bolder, huh?" she murmured as she felt that all too familiar warm fluttering feeling in her stomach.

* * *

"Did I really say that this chick flick looked decent?" Shego muttered to Kim as she slumped down lower and lower into her seat. She and Kim left the apartment at ten in the morning to catch the ten-thirty showing of the film. Instead of watching the action film, Shego gave in to Kim's puppy-dog pout and went along with her to watch the chick flick movie. "The guys in this film look like girls and the girls look like sticks!"

"Shhhh! Shego! Keep quiet!" Kim elbowed Shego's ribs and watched the screen attentively.

Shego scowled and pulled her collar up to cover the lower half of her face better. She was being overly cautious inside the dark theater, but she would rather not take the chances of any of the moviegoers recognizing who she was. Once the movie would finish, Shego would don her dark-tinted shades to complete her disguise. "This is stupid," she muttered, this time catching the elbow that jabbed at her with her hand. "Do that again and I'm going to blow a big hole on that screen," she hissed, glaring hard at Kim.

"You wouldn't dare," Kim said, returning the glare.

"You've known me to be quite the daring person," Shego replied with an overly sweet smile.

Kim opened her mouth to argue when she realized that she had something else up her sleeve that she could use against her protector. "If you burn a hole through the screen, people will figure out who you are," she told the older woman seated to her right. "I'm sure the whole city recognizes that distinctive green power of yours," she added, grinning at how deeply Shego frowned at her.

"Whatever," Shego muttered, propping her elbow on the right armrest and laying her other arm across the remaining armrest. She estimated that the movie would finish in another twenty to thirty minutes, which was enough time for a short nap. Making herself more comfortable in her seat, Shego closed her eyes. A good fifteen minutes later, the villainess was just about to fall asleep when she felt a hand settle on her left forearm. Pretending to be asleep, Shego cracked an eye open and saw that her redheaded charge's cheeks were turning pink. She quickly glanced at the screen and saw the reason that spurred Kim to act.

The male lead finally found the female lead on a lone beach after searching for her for the whole day. Shego couldn't exactly remember the details since she wasn't really paying attention, but she figured that the couple had a spat and now were in the process of reconciling with each other. It was typical of Kim to empathize easily with the characters on screen. Closing her eyes once more, the villainess allowed Kim to continue resting her hand on her forearm. A few more minutes had gone by when she felt that hand drift down her forearm towards her own hand. With that, Shego knew exactly what to do.

Still feigning her sleep, Shego shifted her position slightly and rotated her arm so that the inside of her arm and hand were facing up. As she expected, Kim's hand wandered downward until her fingers lightly grazed Shego's palm before finally twining their fingers together. It was somewhat funny, but Shego was sure that she could feel a surge of electricity travelling up her arm from their twined fingers. The villainess willed herself not to respond whenever Kim would tighten her hold around Shego's hand. She had to continue feigning sleep, but she had to admit that she rather liked holding hands with Kim. As she continued to contemplate the nice feeling, the credits began to roll and Kim now leaned over to wake her protector.

"It's done already," Kim told the older woman, smiling in amusement when Shego merely grunted back as a reply. "Most of the people have gone out of the theater already." Her eyes suddenly locked with those emerald green orbs and she was suddenly reminded that she still held on to Shego's hand. "Ummm..." she stammered, cheeks flushing red. "Y-You should probably let go when we exit the theater," she pointed out. "You did say that you didn't want to draw attention to ourselves," she added hurriedly.

Instead of disentangling their fingers, Shego got to her feet, fully zipped up her jacket's collar and slipped on her shades. "There's no need for that," the villainess said, voice slightly muffled from beneath the collar. "We could always go out using the fire exit and it's a faster route to the parking lot." Pulling her lover to her feet, she led her towards the fire exit, their fingers still entwined with each other.

Kim had to quicken her pace to keep up with the longer legged woman. Her face still felt hot as her eyes frequently drifted down to their joined hands. From her point of view, any person would be intimidated by her protector, but Kim knew better. The Shego beneath the disguise was something more than what ordinary people would see her as. She was a hero and a criminal, but to Kim she was her protector and lover. Passing through one more doorway, the two women found themselves atop the twisting fire exit stairs and began the short trip down three flights of the rusting stairs. It was only when they set their feet on solid ground when Shego let go of Kim's hand.

"Hungry?" Shego asked the redhead as she led the way towards the parking lot, once again looking the part of a bodyguard. "The place I was talking about is a few blocks away from here." She glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the teen hero. "Something wrong?" she asked, catching the dreamy look on the younger girl's face.

"Nothing at all!" Kim replied, looking down the street and spotting the Bueno Nacho branch. "Hey Shego, would it be alright if I made some changes to our date?" She did have a craving for some Mexican food, but she also had an ulterior motive. "Instead of going to that restaurant you told me about, why don't we just lunch over at Bueno Nacho?" As she expected, Shego's face hardened and a deep frown graced her pale green face.

"Why do you want to eat in that fast food restaurant anyway?" Shego demanded, grabbing her helmet off her Ducati bike's seat and propping it against her hip. "It's unhealthy," she pointed out.

"But I just have this craving for their food!" Kim told the raven-haired woman. "Come on Shego! Please?" She gave her best puppy-dog pout and mentally cheered when the villainess released a defeated huff of breath.

"That pout is getting old," Shego muttered, handing the other helmet to Kim and mounting the bike.

Kim laughed and lightly slapped Shego on the arm as she took her seat behind her protector. "It may be getting old, but it still works pretty well with you," she teased, wrapping her arms around Shego's waist and holding on as Shego maneuvered the bike around then speeded down the road towards the Mexican fast-food chain.

"I'll eventually develop an immunity to it," Shego grumbled. A few minutes later, she and Kim walked into the largest Bueno Nacho branch. "I'll go and find us a seat," she told her charge, tipping her shades up the bridge of her nose. "Just get me whatever you're having," she ordered and with that walked towards the nearest vacant table. While Kim headed to the computerized counter, Shego settled herself in her chair and warily looked around. There was only one reason why she didn't like going to this particular restaurant.

"Is that you, Shannon?" Hego's voice boomed as he approached the table with a wide smile on his face. "I never thought I'd see you inside this establishment!"

"Hego!" Shego hissed, her hand snapping forward, gripping Hego's shirt and pulling him towards her face. "You're too loud and I'm supposed to be on duty right now! Don't just go around shouting my name!" She gave her older brother another glare before relinquishing her hold on him. "I didn't want to go here, but I didn't really have much of a choice," she muttered as the strongman gave her a strange look.

"Why are you here anyway?"

"Oh hi Hego!" Kim greeted as she approached the siblings with a laden tray.

"Hello Kim," Hego cheerfully greeted the girl back and plucked the tray from her hands. "Here, let me help you with that!" He set the tray on the table and stepped back to allow the teen hero to slip into her seat. "So I'm assuming you were only forced to come here because Kim wanted to have her lunch here."

Shego shrugged and grabbed one of the sodas. Just because her older brother was trying to make conversation with her did not mean that she had to participate in it.

Kim looked sympathetically at Hego and gave him a smile. "That's pretty much it," she answered his question for him. "We actually just came from watching a movie and I decided to have lunch here."

"A movie?" Hego raised his eyebrows at his sister.

For a moment, Shego could have sworn that there was a strange glint in those eyes behind Hego's spectacles. He couldn't have figured it out so easily. He was an even worse buffoon than Kim's boyfriend, but here he was giving her this knowing look. Instead of expressing herself verbally, Shego opted to glare at her older brother as if challenging him to say anything.

"Hmmm…" The Bueno Nacho branch manager pushed his glassed up the bridge of his nose. "I take it the movie went well?" he asked Kim, still ignoring the icy glare his only sister was giving him.

Kim took a long sip from her cup of soda then looked up to give the physically built man a smile. "It was pretty good," Kim replied. "That's if you ignore Shego's constant complaints about how dumb and cliché the movie was," she added, teasing her protector.

"It really was anyway!" Shego snapped. She scowled deeply at her meal and began to grudgingly consume the food before her. "Eat your food Kimmie," she growled. "I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Have to get back to work," Hego announced. "I'll come by later to say goodbye before the two of you leave." The disguised leader of Team Go walked away from their table to resume his managerial work.

When the hulking manager was out of earshot, Kim took the time to seriously talk to Shego about her relationship with her brothers. "How long are you planning to stay mean to Hego and the rest of your younger brothers?" she asked the green-skinned woman sitting in front of her.

"Forever," Shego growled, gulping down the remaining soda in her cup and setting it back on the table. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about how I treat my siblings anyway?" she demanded, tipping her shades down so that she could glare hard at the redhead.

"Aren't you getting too old to have these spats with your brothers particularly with Hego?" Kim shot back.

Shego snickered. "Believe me! I will never get too old of something like having spats with my siblings especially when it comes to quarreling with my annoying older brother." She tipped her shades back up the bridge of her nose and crossed her arms over her chest. "Quarreling with them is just as interesting as totally ignoring them."

"But I like your brothers and Hego really seems like a nice guy despite his shortcomings," Kim argued.

"You mean his being stupid and overly bossy?" Shego muttered. "You do_ know _why I decided to leave the team, right?"

Kim sighed. It looked like she was going nowhere in this argument. "I just figured that you guys should try to get along more with each other. Don't your parents ever complain that their children should maintain their relationships with each other?" She did wonder if Shego's parents had that concern.

"They mentioned especially when Hego and I started to bicker a lot back then, but they've kept to themselves for the past few years," Shego explained. "They don't really have the right to tell us to keep our relationships intact when they themselves ended their relationship with each other."

Even with the shades and the high collar covering most of Shego's face, Kim could tell that her protector looked and sounded a bit distressed when she talked about her parents. The villainess' furrowed eyebrows told her as much either way. "I bet you miss having a complete family, huh?"

"I'm used to it princess," Shego replied, waving the question off. "It has been more than ten years since my parents had their falling out and that was more than enough time for me to get used to this whole separated parents kind of thing." There was a bleak look on her face. "You done? Let get going to the next place."

Kim nodded. "Let me make a quick trip to the girls' room first." She got to her feet. "Meet me at the front?" she said then walked away from the table towards the branch's comfort rooms.

Wiping her hands on a paper napkin then tossing it into a nearby trash bin, the disguised villainess left her table and made a beeline for the manager of Go City's Bueno Nacho branch. Grabbing Hego by the sleeve of his shirt, Shego dragged her older brother to an empty corner of the fast food restaurant. "If you so even try to tell a person," she said in a threatening voice.

"Don't worry, Shannon," Hego interrupted. "I won't tell a soul if you don't want me to." He held his hands up in front of his chest in defense of himself. "Really now, I do respect you, you know!" He put each ham-sized hand on his sister's shoulders and looked at her seriously. "Just be careful alright? You do know how the media are with these kinds of things," he advised his younger sister. "Once they get wind of this, they'll blow it up and make it into a huge scandal. It wouldn't just be you or Kim who'd get hurt in the process."

Shego sighed and relaxed her stiff shoulders. "I know, Hector," she addressed him by his real name. She had not referred to him by that for such a long time now. "How were you able to tell so easily?" she asked. She honestly thought that her brother was too dense to notice such things.

Hego smiled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Knowing you, you'd rather be subjected to one of your former employer's sure-fail schemes instead of being caught watching a chick flick," he told her. "I figured that there must have been something more to your protector and protected relationship with Kim because of that. There's also the fact that it would take a very special person to get you to come eat lunch in this very restaurant."

"Well whatever," Shego said, trying to sound like her usual snarky self. "My warning still stands. If you tell a single person, I'll make sure that you'll never be able to make that goofy smile again!" She swiped Hego's hands off her shoulders and stalked out of the establishment.

Hego shook his head as he watched Kim climb up behind Shego on her motorcycle from a nearby window. "She will never change," he mused, hearing the bike's engines roar as it raced away. "Well I suppose there will be some changes since she's involved with the world's most renowned crime fighter."

* * *

"That art major friend of yours was a bit eccentric," Shego yelled to Kim over the roar of her Ducati's powerful engines as they zoomed down the coastal highway outside of Go City. "I didn't think that you'd be the sort to hang around with people like her!" They had left the gallery past three in the afternoon and were now heading towards the beach just outside of Go City.

"Hey! Just because she always looks so dreamy and tends to space out all the time doesn't mean that you could insult her!" Kim yelled back. Their trip to the art gallery turned out to be quite boring for Shego and even Kim had to admit that she was already raring to get out of the gallery after just an hour of being toured around by her friend. It was a challenge not to yawn and slip away whenever her friend would explain in her rather monotone voice the various art displays. Shego on the other hand wasn't at all shy of expressing her boredom and much to Kim's embarrassment would frequently roll her eyes and make soft snide remarks whenever she felt like it.

Shego laughed as she maneuvered her bike off the highway and onto a smaller side road that practically ran along right beside the beach. "I don't think she even noticed that we escaped. She was all too goo-goo eyes on all the artsy stuff in the gallery." They pulled to a stop at a small parking lot already filled with a myriad of cars and other vehicles. The villainess easily found a big enough parking space for her bike and waited for her charge to get off.

"This looks nice," Kim remarked as she pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out. "It's still a bit chilly, but it looks like it won't get any colder than this! Perfect weather to stroll along the beach." She grabbed Shego's hand and pulled her towards the fair grounds. "Come on!" she urged her lover as they stepped onto the beach.

They first went to a stall that sold pre-made shell jewelry. Kim was thinking about buying some when Shego pointed out a stall to her who sold similar pieces, but had a slightly different offer. Instead of pre-made jewelry, customers were encouraged to go out onto the beach and look for whatever shells they wish to incorporate into the piece of jewelry.

"What are you looking for anyway?" Shego asked in annoyance, rubbing her lower back. "All the shells you've been making me pick up all look the same!" she called out to Kim who was stooped over the sand. "My back is starting to hurt from all this shell-searching!"

Kim glanced over her shoulder. "We've only been at it for twenty minutes, Shego!"

"Thirty minutes!" Shego corrected. "Are you done yet? I do want to do other things you know!" she complained. It was true anyway. She didn't want to spend the remainder of the day scrounging around in the sand for seashells. "Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

Kim nodded her head absently. "Just a few more, Shego!" she called back.

"I hope a few more means less than five seashells!" The villainess grumbled darkly. "Come on, princess! I see the technical people setting up the stage for the concert!"

Kim finally straightened and jogged back to where Shego stood. "Done!" she chirped and led the way back to the stall. Shego was still a bit too far off to hear the opening conversation between Kim and the salesperson, but she did catch what kind of jewelry Kim wanted. "All that shell picking just for a bracelet?" Shego demanded, feeling cross. "You didn't need me to pick up that many shells then!"

"It's for an extra long bracelet!" Kim explained, handing the person behind the stall a few dollar bills and dragging Shego down the aisle of stalls. "The concert is about to start! We should head over there now so that we could get a good spot!" Kim once again took the lead as she and Shego wove through the crowd of people until they were right in front of the stage.

"Did we have to go so near to the stage?" Shego asked, throwing a glare at a bunch of teenagers who bumped into her back. "My neck will be sore from having to look up at the band from this position."

"Shannon? Why are you so covered up?" A woman's voice addressed them from atop the stage. "Not that I have a problem with it though." The voice belonged to a woman in late twenties who had short boy-cut hair that was dyed a dark blue color. Dancing gray-green eyes, a sharp nose and sensuous lips framed her slender face while a variety of piercings graced both of the individual's ears. Dressed simply in fit jeans and a russet-colored coat, Shego's friend knelt at the edge of the stage to get a better look at the two women.

"I'm on duty," Shego told the woman kneeling on the stage before her. "I'm just taking my charge out since we've been cooped up for the past few weeks," she explained, looking around first before tipping her shades down. "How have you been Nikki?"

Nikki smiled. "I've been doing alright. No stable job, but I'm earning enough with the gigs I've been doing with my band," she replied, twirling a lock of her blue hair with her finger. "We just started to play in upper scale bars and cafes and we're still negotiating a deal with this company who's interested in using one of our songs for their commercial."

"That sounds more than well enough," Shego pointed out with a light laugh. "Nikki, I'd like to introduce you to my latest assignment." The villainess gestured at the redhead at her side. "This is Kim Possible."

The singer let out a low whistle. "I know who she is, Shannon," Nikki remarked. To Kim, she said, "It's nice to meet you, Kim," she greeted the younger girl. "I'm Nikki Sterns." She reached down and grasped hands with the teen hero.

"Nice to meet you too," Kim told the singer. "So you were friends with Shego?"

"Dormitory mates," Nikki replied, fingering one of her ear piercings. "She used to complain a lot about the music blaring from my sound system in my room back then, but she ended up borrowing a bunch of my CD's at some point," she explained with a throaty chuckle.

"Typical of Shego," Kim said, trying to hide a grin. "She pretends that she doesn't like something and complains like there's no tomorrow, but in reality she really likes it."

"She just does that to be cool," Nikki informed the teen hero and feigned a cry of pain when Shego reached up and slapped her loudly on her calf. "Anyway, we're just about ready to start with the show." She got back to her feet and looked at her band mates who were milling about the stage. While the crowd below the stage began to increase, Nikki and her band did a last minute sound check. Taking the microphone in hand, the singer waved to the audience. "Good evening! How are you all doing tonight?"

Kim looked at Shego in surprise when the people around her erupted in cheers and applause. "I didn't think that they'd be this well received," she said into the villainess' ear so that she could be heard over the noise. "The way she described themselves made it look like that they were a small-time band."

Shego leaned over this time to talk into her charge's ear. "They are a small-time band, but they're still quite popular," she told the teen hero. "But Nikki over there has always been very charismatic and I'm quite sure that she played down their current situation with the gigs and that potential deal with a company." She paused for a moment to watch the band play the opening riffs of an upbeat Bossa Nova song. "They're probably juggling a lot of offers right now, but Nikki and her friends were never really interested in going mainstream."

Kim nodded her head and looked up at the stage. "Is she a close friend like Enzo?" she asked, stepping closer to Shego as the crowd pulsed towards the stage.

Shego furrowed her eyebrows when a man pushed her from behind. "Not as close, but I do consider her as one of my good friends," she answered, subtly sticking out her foot, hooking the man's leg and snapping her foot back. "She saved me one time when I was in a tight spot during the beginning of my criminal career," the villainess explained, pretending not to notice as the man beside her fell to the ground and disappeared beneath the crowd's feet. "It would have been embarrassing for a first time criminal to get caught so early."

The teen hero shook her head and grabbed Shego's hand. "Let's dance!" she said, looking hopefully at Shego's face.

"Dance?" Shego dubiously stared at her charge as if she was crazy. "How the hell are we going to do that when we're practically packed like sardines?"

"It's not that hard and there are a lot of people dancing around us!" Kim pointed out. Not waiting for Shego to reply, Kim began to sway her body to the music. "Oh will you loosen up?" Kim demanded when her protector remained as stiff as a statue. "Nobody will recognize you in this crowd! You are in disguise after all!"

"You go on ahead," Shego mumbled, standing her ground and choosing to just listen to the music. It took two more songs before she finally let herself relax. She didn't dance like Kim and the other audience members were doing, but she did resort to tapping her foot and bobbing her head to the music. There were also the occasional hoots and wolf whistles, but Shego kept herself under control. After another twenty minutes, Shego was starting to feel tired, cramped and hot. Leaning towards Kim, Shego placed her lips close to her charge's ear so that she could be heard. "I need a break. Want to walk on the beach?"

Kim first looked at the raven-haired woman then looked up at the darkening skies. As she realized that night was coming upon them, the teen hero nodded her agreement, followed Shego out of the crowd and headed down the slightly sloping beach. As the sounds of music and noise faded into the gentle crashing of the waves against the shore, Kim felt a familiar and strange awkwardness fall upon her. She noticed that she only got that feeling whenever she was alone with her green-skinned protector. "I need to sit down," Kim told the other woman, lowering herself down onto the sand.

"Want me to get you a drink?" Shego offered, staying on her feet. They were several yards away from the water, but she knew that it was just a matter of time before the tide would come in. She ran her forearm over her forehead that was beaded with sweat. "I could use a drink myself," she added.

"Maybe later," Kim replied, shaking her head. "Stay," she told Shego when she made a move towards the food and drink concessionaires. "It's a nice night to enjoy on the beach," she said wistfully, feeling her heart suddenly speed up when Shego sat next to her. Not realizing that her body shivered not from the chilly ocean breeze but from her jittery feelings, Kim brought her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Shego's sharp emerald green eyes caught the subtle rippling movement of her charge's flesh and misinterpreted it as shivering from the cold. The villainess released a sigh and snaked an arm behind 

Kim's back. Settling her hand on Kim's waist, the ex-hero abruptly pulled the redhead closer to her. "You get too cold easily," she murmured, calling up her power from within her. Within seconds, her body was emitting a steady warmth.

"Shego…" Kim said softly, nestling closer to the raven-haired woman at her side. "Thanks for bringing me out… on this date I mean." She tipped her head and leaned it against Shego's shoulder. "I've really enjoyed myself."

"Glad you feel that way, but don't get too comfortable," Shego replied in a gruff voice. "Don't expect to go out like this too much. I still don't want to risk my identity and I don't want to be caught out in the open when the cyborg attacks." She frowned at how she almost died in her last encounter with the former scientist. "There are still a lot of things I want to do in life and dying by Balken Steel's hands is not one of them." She paused for a moment and thought about it. "If I was going to choose my death, I'd rather die as a criminal than as a hero," she said in a rather half-hearted voice.

"You don't mean that," Kim told her lover. "And can we not talk about this? It's such a depressing topic." She looked up at the skies and noticed that heavy clouds were steadily moving across the skies. "I wish we could stay longer like this."

"Not too long I hope." Shego glanced at her wristwatch. "I don't want to stay out too late and it's a bit difficult to drive in the evening." The villainess then scowled at the suddenly cloudy night skies. "Not to mention it'll be way harder for me to drive the bike if it suddenly rains." She barely heard her charge's reply and had to ask her to repeat herself. "Did you say something?"

"Do you really love me, Shego?"

The raven-haired woman blinked and swallowed hard. She didn't know if it was just her, but she somehow always found it difficult to express herself in these kinds of situations. She had not exactly used those magical three words on Kim yet and she hoped that she would not be forced to do it. "Do I have to convince you verbally?" she asked in annoyance. "Actions speak louder than words right?"

"Shego…" Kim warned. "I demand that-" The redhead fell silent as gloved fingers gently gripped her chin and tilted her to face upward into Shego's face. "Shego," Kim started, watching as her protector partly zipped down her jacket, which exposed her face. She could see the intensity in those emerald green eyes behind Shego's shades.

"I meant it when I said that actions speak louder than words," Shego told her charge, a wry smile forming on her lips. With that said, she began to bring her face closer and closer in an almost agonizing slow pace just to tease Kim a bit. When their lips were a mere inch away from each other, Shego willed her eyes to close and to savor the kiss when she heard the sudden blare of Nikki's amplified voice.

"Before we play our last song, I'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight! Quite a big turnout of people if I must say!"

Shego frowned and pulled away from Kim. There was no reason for Nikki to have the sound technicians pump up the volume of her microphone. She didn't know what it was, but her gut was telling her to make a run for it for some reason. Twisting around and ignoring the annoyed look on Kim's face, Shego listened carefully.

"I didn't realize that a small-time event like this would even attract the _media_ people! Not that I don't mind! Hey you cameramen in the crowd! Point those things at us instead of _at the beach_! You won't find anything of interest there!"

"Shit!" Shego cursed, bolting up to her feet. Her gut was right all along and she had Nikki to thank for giving her the subtle warning. She had no idea how, but the media must have tracked her and Kim to the beach. "Come on, Kimmie!" She pulled Kim to her feet and led her down the beach at a jog. "Time for us to make our escape!" The villainess zipped up her collar once again to conceal her identity.

"I think we're being followed!" Kim said, pulling her hand out of Shego's grip and increasing her speed. "And if I saw it right, there are three men with cameras chasing after us!" She and Shego sprinted towards the parking lot and got there in less than half a minute. A little winded from the run, both women jumped onto the bike with Shego kicking up the kickstand and starting the engines simultaneously. Twisting the gas hard, the bike's wheels screeched against the cracked asphalt as they speeded down the coastal road, making their way towards the main highway. Lightning flashed and momentarily blinded the women as thunder boomed.

"Just great!" Shego shouted angrily. "First we get chased by the media people and now I have to handle _this!"_ Rain began to pelt her body and within a few moments, she and Kim were completely soaked. "Hang on. I'll get us home before either of us gets sick."

True to her protector's words, Shego did get them home in record time just as the winds were picking up and the rain was coming down harder. After parking her Ducati in the garage, Kim and her protector trudged into the apartment, leaving a trail of water in their wake. "I'll clean it up," Kim offered, ending her sentence with a sneeze.

Shego shook her head. "We'll do that later. Right now, we have to get out of these wet clothes," she told Kim, grimacing at her sodden appearance. "Go on princess. We can talk later." She headed up the stairs first and into her bedroom while Kim went to her own bedroom to take a warm shower. Thirty minutes later, the villainess and the teen hero adjourned to Shego's bedroom just as weather took a turn for the worse. "It's officially a type two hurricane, but they say it might go up to type three," she told her charge who was running a brush through her damp hair. "I couldn't get any other information because the cable went out. I'm hoping the electricity won't go the same way."

"I hope so too," Kim agreed, spreading her schoolwork on the floor before her. "I still have work to do and I won't be able to do anything in the dark." She sat on the floor with one leg bent towards her while the other was stretched out. "Are you sure you don't mind that I do my homework here in your room?"

Shego shook her head. She too was seated on the floor leaning against the foot of her bed and clipping her toenails. "I don't mind, but you know princess," Shego said with an amused smile. "You should just be honest and say that you're afraid of thunder and lightning instead of telling me that you like my company."

Kim flushed. "W-Who says I'm scared of thunder and lightning?" she demanded, flinching as there was a flash of white that was immediately followed by a loud thunderclap. "And I really do like your company!" she added defensively, trying to busy herself with her homework.

"Sure pumpkin," Shego agreed, the amusement never leaving her face. "If you say so." Going over her work, the villainess put aside her nail clipper and grabbed a magazine. It was still a bit too early in the evening for her to hit the hay since her body was used to sleeping past twelve midnight. She flipped through the pages of her monthly subscription of "Of Villains and Villainesses" and quickly scanned through the articles to look for something of interest to her. Shego rolled her eyes when she realized that almost all the pages of the magazine were either pictures of Camille Leon or articles about her. She had a feeling the model bought out the company and decided to take advantage of it. Letting out a breath, the raven-haired woman forced herself to read the magazine anyway since the others in her room were months old.

"You're never going to be able to finish your schoolwork if you keep looking at me, princess," Shego said, her face hidden behind the magazine she held. "Quite distracted, aren't you?" She lowered the magazine so that her eyes could peek at her blushing charge. "Perhaps you like my company too much," she teased. "And it might be for the best that I leave you alone so that you could finish your work without any distractions," she added, pretending to get to her feet.

"I'm not distracted!" Kim exclaimed, leaning forward and setting her hands on the floor in front of her. "I have more than enough time to finish this up! It's only Saturday of course!" She began to gather up her schoolwork and pile them up by the wall. "Why do you have to tease me like that?" Kim muttered. "I only want to spend more time with you…"

Shego shook her head and continued to read her magazine. "You _are _spending time with me, princess," she reminded her charge.

"Not that kind of _time!_" Kim blurted, turning her face away in embarrassment upon realizing what she just said. That was enough to insinuate something and she was sure that Shego would have understood what she meant by that.

"Kimmie…"

"Why don't you just… just…" Kim stuttered, clenching her hands together nervously and keeping her eyes on the floor.

Shego closed her magazine and set it aside. "Just what, princess?" she asked, keeping her tone of voice level. It was starting to become difficult for her to breathe as she waited for the redhead to make herself clear.

Kim slowly looked up from the floor and locked eyes with her protector. Her cheeks had already turned into several shades of red as she readied herself to give her piece. "Why don't you just…" she started in a soft voice. "… touch me?" she finished in a voice that was barely a whisper.

The villainess felt her heart slam against her ribcage or a feeling similar to that since she had no better way to describe it. Was Kim really saying those things to her, she wondered. If her brain was processing things properly, Kim was practically telling her to… _do that._ "What?" she managed to say after several seconds of gaping at her.

"I-I know you've been holding out on me," Kim explained, feeling rattled. "I don't know if you just don't want to jump into this too quickly or there's just something wrong with me, but I want… I want…" She bit her lip and looked down at the floor once more. "Please… don't hold out on me and stop restraining yourself."

Shego blinked a few times at the redhead seated on the floor before her. Had she really been acting that way? Had she really been holding out on Kim? It's human nature that people would want attention and affection from their significant other. She realized that her current efforts must have been frustrating to Kim after all they had been together for nearly two months. Kim deserved better and Shego decided that she didn't like seeing her lover looking so troubled.

Kim sighed and unclenched her hands. "It's ok," she told Shego, misinterpreting her protector's silence and inaction. "I under- S-Shego?!" she yelped as a hand roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. As the hand held her forearm aloft while another hand pressed against the small of her back, she felt herself pressed into Shego's body as her lips were suddenly captured into a searing and passionate kiss. "S-Shego…" Kim said in a weak voice when the older woman pulled away. "Mmmphhh!" She didn't have a chance to ask what her lover intended to do because the villainess dove back in, this time pushing her onto the floor.

"Don't argue, Kimmie," Shego let out as she released Kim's lips and travelled down to give attention to her charge's bared neck. She nuzzled Kim's neck and breathed in her scent all the while sensing her lover tremble from her actions. Her hands slowly traced up and down the sides of Kim's torso as she continued to nip at the tender flesh of Kim's neck. Shego enjoyed the sudden shortness of breath she caused in Kim and she wanted to hear more particularly something sexier. Using the tip of her tongue, Shego laved a trail up the side of Kim's neck, teased one ear lobe for a few seconds before pulling away and finally sliding her lips over her lover's once more.

"W-Wait… Shego…" Kim whined as Shego returned to her neck while the ex-hero's hands strayed downward until they hovered over the hem of her shirt. "S-Shego! Ohhhh…" she moaned out, bringing her forearm up to her mouth to muffle anything else that came out of her mouth when those warm and slightly calloused hands found slipped beneath her shirt and slid up the taught flesh of her stomach.

"I'm not waiting anymore, princess," Shego whispered against Kim's neck as she continued her ministrations. Her fingers finally made contact with the skin underneath her charge's modest breasts. She lightly kneaded the flesh with her fingers in an almost teasing manner as Kim writhed beneath her. Smiling as she nipped down Kim's neck towards her chest, Shego began to ease up her charge's shirt.

"Ahem!" A woman cleared her throat by the opened bedroom door.

_Opened bedroom door?!_ Shego's lust-filled mind snapped back into reality as she quickly pulled away from Kim and stared at the intruder. "What the hell are you doing here and how did you get inside?" she demanded in a near shout.

"Forgive me for my… intrusion," Betty Director apologized, failing to control her embarrassment evident on her reddened cheeks. "But I have important matters that need to be discussed immediately so I let myself in when I realized that the front door was unlocked," she explained, glancing at the redhead who was now sitting up and pulling down her shirt.

Shego scowled and began to curse. "Use the doorbell for crying out loud!" Shego shouted at the director of Global Justice. "Some people want some _privacy_ you know!" she added in disdain, assuming an Indian sitting position and crossing her wiry arms over her chest. "Now what's so important that had you barge into my home uninvited?"

"I'm sending the both of you to Chicago," Betty told the women. "The local government gave me a call around half an hour ago." She looked grimly at them. "The whole intensive care unit of one of the biggest hospitals in that state is in critical condition."

"Why is that?" Kim asked, almost in control of her riled emotions.

"It's bad, Kim." Betty shook her head. "We gave strict orders for the hospitals to not use Balken Steel's invention, but our order wasn't heeded and now nearly a hundred people are in severe pain and likely to die if nothing is done." She paused, took a deep breath and seriously gazed at the two women before her. "Suit up. My jet will take you there as soon as you're ready."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Sigh…. Senior year in college is stressing me out so it's considerably getting harder and harder for me to come up with chapters and update. I am in need of a break and thankfully, I'm finally heading to the beach tomorrow for a 2-day trip of relaxation. It's been years since I last went to a beach (quite strange since I live in a country that has too many to count). Anyway, I'll try to make the most out of it and get some inspiration to write the next chapter of this story. Thanks to all the reviewers who have kept me going with their comments, praises and criticisms!**

**Next Chapter: Depression**


	15. Depression

Chapter 15: "Depression"

"Sixty-three minutes and forty-seven seconds," Shego murmured, looking at her redheaded charge seated by her side. Despite the bad weather, both she and Kim made the trip to Chicago via Betty Director's jet. Despite a turbulent flight, they arrived at the airport in forty minutes and were now on their way to the hospital by car.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kim asked, turning to face her protector. As usual, she was in her usual mission outfit of purple shirt, black pants, fingerless gloves and durable shoes while Shego continued to wear her protector disguise.

"You've been blushing for that long since we left the apartment," Shego informed her charge with a wry grin on her face. "Are you still that flustered from a while ago?" She was definitely amused with how she made such an effect on the teen hero. Wanting to tease her a bit more, Shego leaned over and placed her lips close to Kim's ear. "There'll be other occasions for me to do more than that," she whispered hotly as she lightly slid one gloved hand up Kim's thigh. The ex-hero could only chuckle when the younger girl pulled away and slapped her hand off her thigh.

"N-Not here Shego!" Kim told her protector, despite being curious about what could have happened if she and the green-skinned villainess were not interrupted. Shego had guessed right that she and Ron never had "alone time" just as she described it, but more specifically she was still a virgin. She and Ron did have their own fair share of kissing and even did a bit of petting that Kim could describe as awkward, but it wasn't as… hot and erotic as compared to her time with Shego. Her arch foe was of course _knowledgeable _and apparently _talented _in other fields.

"You're no fun," Shego complained, but backed away anyway to give her charge some space. "Embarrassed that our driver," she jerked her thumb at the Global Justice agent who drove the car. "Might get a good show?" She had a feeling that she and Kim might be the hottest topic among the people involved in Global Justice. The only thing that she was concerned about was if Betty could keep that fact within the organization's limits.

"Keep quiet!" Kim lunged forward and clamped a hand over her protector's mouth. "Why do you always have to be so tactful?" she demanded in an annoyed voice. In a softer voice, she said, "But I did notice that this guy has been watching us through his rearview mirror."

Shego nodded her head and pushed Kim's hand off her mouth. "Nothing to worry about princess," she assured her charge. "If word gets out about us then that pretty much means that there's going to be burnt Global Justice agent on the hospital menu." She looked at the rearview mirror and wickedly smiled at the suddenly pale agent in the driver's seat. "How much farther from the hospital?"

"It's just around this corner," the agent replied, keeping his gaze on the road ahead of him. "The director has already informed the hospital that you'd be arriving." After crossing the intersection, he drove the car towards a large and modern looking hospital complex composed of five buildings. "I will park the car. When you finish your business here, I will take you to wherever you need to go afterwards."

Shego got out of the car first and gazed through the clear glass sliding doors of main hospital building. "It doesn't look like that something awful has happened," she remarked. "No sign of the authorities and everything seems to be orderly." She zipped up her leather jacket, put on her shades and pulled on her gloves. "One-eye did say that the problem's in the intensive care unit, right?"

"Yes," Kim answered as she pulled out her kimmunicator. "Lead the way Shego. I have to call Wade up to get more information." Following Shego into the hospital, Kim speed-dialed the genius' number. "Hey Wade!" she greeted the dark-skinned boy when his image came onto the screen.

"_Hey Kim! I heard about the news from Betty Director herself! I've actually already started my analysis of the data collected from the blood samples of the patients in the ICU," _Wade informed the redhead. _"It'll take some time before I could get any significant information from this, but it's positive that Balken Steel's Silver Lifeblood was injected into the patients."_

Kim frowned. "How bad is it?"

The boy shook his head. _"You should probably ask the doctors on duty for a more detailed account, but the patients' lives are in danger."_

"I'll call you later then, Wade." Kim turned off her communications device and pocketed it. In every room Kim passed, she saw how grim the situation had become. Women, men, children and the elderly all writhed in pain on their beds with a variety of hospital equipment attached either to their bodies or on standby just in case things went awry. Kim's face was tight with emotion as her heart went out to the youngest of the patients in the intensive care unit.

"We have to consider ourselves lucky." Betty Director caught up to Shego and Kim with a contingent of agents behind her. "Fortunately enough, it looks like it's only this hospital that was afflicted," she explained while she quickly fixed her signature on a document.

"So the other hospitals-"

"As of the moment, my agents have informed me that none of the hospitals they've checked have administered the Silver Lifeblood," Betty interrupted Kim's query with an immediate answer. "So far, we've confiscated around two thousand vials. With other hospitals, we were even luckier. They didn't have any stock of this damned invention." The director pressed the base of her palm against her eye-patched eye.

"Have you figured out why it's this Chicago hospital that was targeted?" Shego asked, peering through a glass window and frowning at the sight before her. "And what are they giving these kids here through those IV drips?"

"Morphine," a female dressed in a doctor's coat replied. "They've come to need it in regular doses. Unlike the adults, these children cannot handle the pain as well." She pushed her graying hair back. "I'm Doctor Joan Thierry," she introduced herself, shaking hands with the three women before her. "I head the team of doctors, nurses and staff assigned to the intensive care unit."

"Betty," the blue-suited woman gave her name to the older doctor. "Director of Global Justice. This is Kim Possible and..." Betty paused and frowned. "Agent Shadow, one of my part time operatives and currently acting as Kim's partner and bodyguard."

The disguised Shego nodded her head to the doctor. "Did you give the order to administer the Silver Lifeblood to your patients?"

The doctor shook her head. "I do make the decisions here but not without the appoval of the higher-ups in this hospital," she began. "I didn't even realize that we had a stock of this technology."

"Then it could only mean one thing," Kim remarked.

Betty Director nodded her head. "Smuggling."

"Or someone from the hospital staff is in cahoots with that cyborg," Shego hypothesized, garnering surprised looks from the other women. "How else could the technology be brought in here and administered to the patients without garnering suspicion? Only professionals in this facility could do that," the ex-hero pointed out. "Not unless the cyborg himself paid you a visit, but that wouldn't be possible," she added in sarcasm.

Betty nodded her head in agreement. "Has anyone in your staff been acting strangely?" she asked the doctor.

"Not that I know of," Doctor Thierry replied.

"Think this over," Shego pressed. "Has anyone been acting shady? There has to be someone involved in this!"

Kim stepped closer to the female doctor. "If someone from the staff is responsible, he probably committed this crime with the least amount of people around," she guessed. "Has anyone from the ICU been doing overtime lately or extending into the night shift when it isn't necessary?" It was just a guess, but she really had a gut feeling that Shego was right about someone from the hospital staff being in cahoots with Balken Steel.

"Good thinking," Shego murmured, crossing her arms over her chest.

The ICU doctor looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "Now that you mention it, one of our nurses has been doing overtime for the past week and I realized how unusual it is," she started, walking towards a large board filled with schedules and shifts. "From the three years he's been working in this hospital, he has never done overtime willingly unless we ask him to."

Betty, Shego and Kim exchanged looks with each other. "Would you happen to know if this Pierce character has been sneaking around?" Betty asked.

"Not really sneaking around, but I did get a report that he was bothering the staff who were receiving the newly delivered drugs that arrived at the start of this week," the doctor replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't really see where this is going. Pierce is one of the best nurses from this ward and quite trustworthy." She ran her finger down the shift schedule on the board. "Speaking of the delivery, I have to make a call to the pharmaceutical company we do business with. I specifically ordered twenty boxes of this new drug, but the delivery tally sheet my staff submitted to me shows that there were twenty-one boxes."

Kim clapped her hands together. "Now that sounds suspicious. Is Pierce on shift right now?"

Doctor Thierry shook her head. "He's been calling in sick for the past two days."

"It wouldn't hurt to investigate and interrogate this Pierce," Betty said, fishing out her communications device attached to the back of her belt. "Where does he live?" she asked the female doctor.

"He has an apartment on the next street," Doctor Thierry answered.

While Betty ordered a group of her agents to pay a visit to the nurse's abode, the disguised Shego walked further down the hall and passed by a room with its door wide open. Abruptly stopping in her tracks, the ex-hero backpedalled and stared at the room's occupants who also stared back at her.

"Hey! It's the strange lady who rescued me back then!" A young boy's weak voice echoed out of the room and into the quiet hallway.

"The biker lady who keeps rescuing Kim?" This time, an older female's voice spoke.

Kim immediately recognized the second voice and strode towards the opened doorway where her protector was positioned. Placing a hand on Shego's arm and peering into the room at the same time, Kim smiled at Tai and gave a shakier smile at the sickly looking Vaughn. "Hey Tai!" she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

Tai got off her chair and walked over to the teen hero and her protector. "My family's from Chicago," she started, glancing over shoulder to check on her younger brother. "I never told you before, but Vaughn actually has Lymphoma. His condition took a turn for the worst last week so my parents brought him here."

"How long have you been here and what about school?" Kim asked.

The football player shook her head. "I've been here for a few days now. I applied for a week-long leave of absence so that I could go home and keep an eye on Vaughn." She gestured at a nearby table filled with snacks and refreshments. "Want a drink?"

Kim shook her head and pulled her friend out of the room. "Was Vaughn given the Silver Lifeblood?" she asked softly.

The smile on Tai's face faded into a frown. "So you're here because of this big mishap?" She stuffed her hands into her Go University football varsity jacket. "My parents had to cut their business trip short because of this. The doctors never prescribed this Silver thingy as treatment, but we're suddenly told that it's in Vaughn's system!"

Kim set both of her hands on each of Tai's stiff shoulders. "I promise to do something about it," she told her friend. "We just need more information before we head out and try to stop this situation from getting worse." She looked closely at Tai's face and realized that she wasn't paying attention to her, but was actually gazing thoughtfully at Shego.

"You actually look familiar now that I think about it," Tai remarked, furrowing her eyebrows at the disguised Shego. "I think I may have seen you in television or on the newspapers or something," she added.

"You must be mistaken," Kim let out in a rush. "She's a special agent of Global Justice who was assigned as my bodyguard," she explained, quickly glancing at Shego who simply regarded Tai, disinterest evident in her relaxed form. "Funny huh? I should have guessed that she was actually hired by the director of Global Justice after all those times she suddenly showed up and came to my rescue." She knew that she was rambling.

Tai continued her staring contest with Shego for a few more seconds before she shrugged her shoulders. "That's great I suppose that you have someone to look after you. By the way, where's Ron? Shouldn't he be with you during your missions?" Some people would have not noticed the subtle change that occurred on Kim's face after hearing her boyfriend's name, but Tai easily caught it. "Something happened," she said in a flat voice.

"We…" Kim frowned deeply. She didn't like it whenever she was reminded of her falling out with Ron. "We had an argument," she told her friend.

"Doesn't sound like a normal kind of argument," Tai replied, motioning for Kim and her protector to enter the room. "I'll guess and say that you broke up with him." She sat herself in a chair and gently ruffled her younger brother's hair. "How long now?"

"A little over two months," Kim told the ebony brown-haired girl before her. "I have been trying to get back in to good terms with him, but he's been steering clear away from me," she told her friend. "He's… been taking my decision to break up with him quite hard."

"And what's the reason for breaking up with Ron?" Tai asked, regarding Kim with her amber eyes.

Kim blushed as she shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it," she told the other girl. She had a feeling that even if she refused to explain the situation to Tai, the athlete would probably be able to guess why she broke up with Ron. Tai had always had good deductive skills, be it in her class, football or even in these kinds of situations.

"Mind if I take another guess?" Tai asked, catching Kim's bodyguard stiffen. Delicate eyebrows raised up as she first eyed the mysterious woman then the still blushing Kim. She shook her head ruefully. "Now I understand why Ron is still avoiding you. It's quite a big hit to a boy's ego if his girlfriend breaks up with him to be with another woman." She raised her hands up in defense as Kim's protector growled and unknowingly ignited her hands with her green plasma. "Things become clearer now that I also know that your protector and lover happens to be the infamous Shego."

Kim gawked, rushed over to Shego and grabbed hold of the raven-haired woman's wrists. "Shego!" she hissed, slapping herself mentally that she pretty much confirmed Tai's guess. "You just gave yourself away!"

"Your friend is too nosy!" Shego finally spoke, knowing that it wasn't any use to hide her identity since Tai already figured out who she was. "I could easily _silence_ her for being such a nosy kid!" she growled, pulling off her shades and glaring hard at the athlete.

"Shego…" Kim warned, throwing an apologetic glance at Tai. "Behave and watch what you say! We're in front of a kid!" Her jade green eyes flicked over at the curious Vaughn. "Besides, I trust Tai and I'm sure she'll keep this a secret, right?" She looked hopefully at her friend.

"I'll admit that I am nosy," Tai confessed. "But I am trustworthy so you won't need to worry about me blabbing out your secrets," she told both women. "Although Kim, I seriously didn't see you as the type to go for women. What made you swing the other way?" she asked.

"Well…" Kim murmured, clasping her hands behind her back and refusing to make eye contact.

Shego chuckled and smirked at the sight of Kim being flustered. "Let's just say that I'm a very _appealing_ catch," she answered the question for Kim who turned into a darker shade of red.

"Were you ever interested in Kim?" Tai asked the villainess while Kim struggled to control her emotions.

Shego partly zipped down her jacket and frowned. "Never really thought about it in that way until I got hired to protect her," she replied, leaning against the wall. "Back when we were still in the hero and criminal type of relationship, I was only interested in her for the sake of fighting… for the thrill I guess," she amended. "Kim was the only serious rival I ever had anyway, so I always enjoyed exchanging blows with her."

Tai nodded her head and grinned at Kim. "So how about when you were getting interested in Kim in _that _way?"

While Kim protested the flow of their conversation, Shego did not feel uncomfortable at all talking about such a sensitive topic. Well, it was probably a sensitive topic for Kim, but Shego certainly wasn't embarrassed talking about this. "Tendencies and the like," she said, checking the fit of her gloves on her hands. "Lots of denial too," she added with a chuckle. "I'd like to say though that Kim's tendencies for me were more apparent."

"I could tell," Tai replied. "Kim was never good with hiding her feelings," she mused.

"Can we please not talk about this?" Kim begged. "I don't know how much more embarrassment I could handle," she continued, hearing her kimmunicator beep incessantly. "What's the sitch, Wade?" She looked at the screen of her communications device.

"_I just figured out how the Silver Lifeblood is being controlled," _Wade announced. _"It was hard to spot, but there's a weak signal being transmitted to this nanotechnology from a location just outside the city's limits."_ The dark-skinned boy punched a few keys on his keyboard and showed Kim and Shego, who was now looking over Kim's shoulder, a map. _"I tracked the source in this area,"_ he said, as a red dot blinked on the map.

Kim nodded her head. "So this place is just outside of the city?" she asked.

Wade nodded, still focused on the screen of his computer. _"From my research, the source of the signal is coming from an abandoned telecommunications tower."_ He sent them a feed of a dilapidated tall metal tower. _"It doesn't look like it's operational, but it makes sense that Balken Steel would alter the programming of his invention through that."_

"Shall we check it out?" Kim asked, hearing the approach of footsteps from the hall.

"_That should be the director and I had your battle suit brought over,"_ Wade informed the redhead as Betty and one of her agents entered the room.

"Pierce is dead," Betty announced, her lone eye turning dark. "My agents had to break into his apartment when no one would answer the door." She took the small cloth sack from his agent's hands and handed it to Kim. "He was sprawled on the floor, a huge gash on his chest and a hole through his forehead," she enumerated, ignoring how Tai covered her younger brother's ears. "He's been dead for less than a day and obviously, we know who the killer is."

"Balken Steel," Kim guessed, face turning grim at the prospect of having to face the fearsome cyborg. She could feel her blood literally run cold just by uttering his name. "Is this the reason why you had my battle suit brought here, Wade?" she asked the boy genius.

"_Based on your previous encounters with Balken Steel, you hardly stood a chance with him. Your battle suit had undergone some modifications and I believe that it'll be enough to defend yourself from him."_

Shego let out an undignified snort. "I managed to break that cyborg freak apart before so what makes you think that Kim needs her battle suit when I'm around?" She must have sounded or looked smug because the director of Global Justice shot her a disapproving look.

"Do you expect Balken Steel to not have prepared for another encounter with the two of you?" Betty demanded. "You may have disabled him once, but the months that passed since you last met him may have been used to upgrade his body," she theorized. "Regardless, the battle suit is a safety measure despite the fact that your powers hold a slight advantage over him."

Shego scowled deeply. "You underestimate me, one-eye."

"It's called taking precautions, Shego," Betty shot back.

Kim cleared her throat before the argument got any worse. "I'll wear the battle suit either way," Kim informed everyone. "I don't want to risk my life especially since there's a big possibility that I'm going to bump into Balken." She unzipped the bag and pulled out her folded battle suit. "Let me just suit up and we can be on our way."

"Don't I get any new gear?" Shego asked in a half-joking manner.

"You got your gear already," Betty pointed out. "You've got your powers don't you?" She furrowed her eyebrows at the villainess. "And if you don't consider that jacket that Kim gave you as new gear, then I don't know what it is."

Shego grinned sheepishly. Kim wouldn't have been able to have the special leather jacket made out of the same material as Kim's battle suit if she didn't ask special permission. It was one thing to give such a high-tech garment to a friend and it was a completely other thing to give it to a criminal. "Touché one-eye." She let out a breath, zipped up her jacket and popped her shades back on. "I might as well meet Kim in the hall." Instead of walking out of the room as everyone expected, the raven-haired villainess walked over to the side of the bed, leaned over and gently placed her hand on Vaughn's head. "Get well soon." With that, she stalked out of the room.

* * *

"This is the place… right?"

Shego nodded her head as she walked over to the rusting metal fence that encircled the telecommunications tower. "It certainly looks nonoperational," she murmured, placing a hand on the chain-linked fence. "Not to mention decrepit," she added when she pulled her hand away and noticed flakes of rust stuck to her glove. "Has your nerdlinger sent over the latest information yet?"

"A moment," Kim answered then proceeded to contact Wade. "An update would be nice about now," she told the dark-skinned boy when his image popped on screen.

"_I just scanned the area via satellite,"_ Wade told her. _"Strangely enough I didn't get any signs of life, but I did get the exact location of the transmitting signal. It's roughly 800 feet up."_

"Thanks Wade. Keep me posted." After depositing her kimmunicator on her belt, Kim began to tied her hair back in a ponytail. "Looks like we have to climb," she said to no one in particular, not looking forward to scaling the rusting metal structure. "Eight hundred feet seems quite daunting," she added. The steel-latticed tower was over 1600 feet in height and certainly looked sturdy enough to withstand the elements. Wade informed her earlier that the tower was closed down due to technical difficulties that the staff could not figure out. The numerous metal struts holding the tower up would give Kim and Shego an easy enough time to climb the tower.

Shego chuckled and clambered over the fence ahead of Kim. "Scaling 800 feet up a tower shouldn't be a problem for a cheerleader like yourself, right?" She jumped down and lightly landed on the ground. The raven-haired woman warily observed their surroundings first before signaling to Kim that it was safe. "So how should we go about this?" Shego wondered aloud while taking in the view of the metal tower.

"I'm not so sure," Kim admitted, looking a bit worried as she dropped down from the top of the fence. She didn't want to say it, but she was hoping that the cyborg wouldn't show up. "Should we scale it together?"

Shego shook her head. "We'd be able to cover more ground if we scaled this thing separately," she told Kim. "Nerdlinger said so himself that the thing that's sending signals to the Silver Lifeblood is located 800 feet up, but aside from that we don't exactly know where or what it is." The villainess unconsciously began to stretch her body in preparation for the climb.

"You're right but…"

"We won't be separated for long and if something happens, I'll be quick to get to you," Shego told her charge. "Now stop worrying and let's get this over with! The sooner we dispose of whatever it is that's controlling the Silver Lifeblood, the sooner we get back home!" She dashed towards the tower and leaped up to the first strut. "I'll take the far side, Kimmie!" she called back before continuing up the structure.

Kim sighed and shook her head. She had to focus. Lives were at stake and if she messed up now or gave in to her fear and nervousness, she would fail as a crime fighter and hero. "Here I go then," she murmured, running up to the tower and leaping onto the same metal strut Shego started with. It was a long way up, but she guessed that she would probably make it to the designated area in ten minutes or so. Making use of her acrobatic skills and grappling hook, the redhead made quick work up the tower. She was taking a short break on a strut 600 feet up and coiling her grappling hook when she felt her kimmunicator vibrate.

"_Don't bother, princess. It's better that you have both of your hands free." _Shego's voice was loud enough to be heard only by Kim.

Kim let out a sigh of relief and got back to her feet. "Where are you Shego? It's hard to see in the dark." She squinted through the darkness in an attempt to find her protector.

"_Higher up. I'm less than a hundred feet away from the 800 foot mark," _Shego replied._ "I do wonder why the cyborg decided to plant whatever device he's using to control his invention halfway up the tower."_

Kim shrugged her shoulders as bounded higher and higher. "Maybe he doesn't need much coverage. The only affected hospital anyway is the one we were in a while ago," Kim guessed, shooting her grappling hook forty feet up. "Do you see anything yet?" Wanting to conserve her energy, the teen hero leaped off the metal strut and swung around the tower several times, each roundtrip taking her up a few stories.

"_None. I'll try heading a bit higher. I'll meet you in a few minutes."_

After resetting her grappling hook-gun, Kim continued her journey up until she finally reached the supposed destination. "Wade," she said in a soft voice. "I'm here. Could you tell me where I can find this thing?"

"_Why are you whispering?" _Wade asked. _"Anyway, it's just a few feet away from you. See anything?"_

"It's kind of hard to see especially at this time of the night," Kim said drily, fumbling at her belt for her high-powered flashlight she brought along for the mission.

"I could help you out with that." Suddenly, that portion of the tower was suddenly illuminated by floodlights strategically placed on various metal struts. As Kim rubbed her blinded eyes to restore her sight, a deep and rumbling chuckle filled the air. "I've been expecting you, Kim Possible." The same distinctive voice was devoid of emotion and drove her to terror.

Snapping her head around as the spots faded from her vision, Kim finally spotted the seated figure several feet up. There he was still clothed in his usual garb of a long black trench fully zipped up. Steel gray eyes regarded her with interest as he dangled one leg off the beam he was sitting on. "You!" she shouted, trying to mask her fear.

"Me?" The cyborg leaned forward and propped one arm on his knee. "I don't think I need to reintroduce myself to you." He pushed himself up to his feet, steam and the occasional blue sparks hissing out of his knees and shoulders from the effort. "My! I must say that you look rather dashing in that new outfit of yours," Balken Steel said in a mocking voice. "Although I assure you it won't help." He flexed his metal hands.

Kim's body shook, but she didn't know if it was due to her fear or anger. "Do you know what you're doing?" she demanded, refusing to back down and run away. "You're going to kill people! You invented the Silver Lifeblood to save lives not kill them!"

"A useless argument," Balken said, waiving the fact. "It's getting rather boring hearing the same thing over and over again." He curled his fingers one by one as if testing the flexibility of his metal digits.

"What about your daughter?" Kim tried. There had to be some semblance of humanity still left in the cyborg. Perhaps if she appealed to it, Balken Steel would give in to reason. "Would she want this from you?"

"My daughter is dead, Kim Possible," Balken declared, steel gray eyes boring into her. "What does a dead girl have to say about this anyway?" He jumped off the strut and landed a few yards away from Kim, the foot wide beam reverberated from his landing. "If she were alive and had any knowledge of the misdeeds of MCO then she would have wanted revenge." The cyborg raised his right arm as it began its transformation.

Kim backed away as the Balken's arm took the form of a long barreled gun. "You assume much, Balken," she told him, finally backing away into a metal post. She had to watch her footing this high up. Closer to the ground, the metal struts were wide and thick but halfway up they were barely spanned a foot across.

"I often find my assumptions correct." Balken cocked his head when the redhead took up a fighting stance. "You should believe me when I say that nothing even that battle suit of yours is going to help you against me." He drew his gun-arm lightning fast and just about to fire when a body clothed in black crashed into him feet first and knocked him off the strut.

"You forget that Kim has me," Shego growled at the cyborg who clung on to the edge of a metal strut one level down. "I would have thought that you'd have enough of one beating from me." The villainess leered down at the cyborg, raised her fists and ignited them. "I wonder if a half metal man will be able to survive an 800 foot drop?"

Balken Steel laughed. "I ask the same question to you," he told the raven-haired woman. "I assure you though, you're the one who's going to be doing the falling!" Metal fingers hissed out steam as they gripped the strut so tightly that it crumpled as if it were paper. Effortlessly pulling himself back up, he first knocked aside a bolt of green plasma thrown at him with his arm before leaping a good fifteen feet up to stand on the same level as Shego. "It's a shame that the clothes I wear are easily flammable," he mused, rotating his arm and tearing out the sleeve that was steadily being eaten by a green flame.

"Hah! I never thought that you were the type to be concerned about clothing!" Shego taunted, this time throwing a barrage of energy blasts at the cyborg who was head and shoulders taller than she was. "I'm impressed though!" Shego remarked, watching Balken block off all her energy blasts in the same manner. "How were you able to put yourself back together after I blasted off your arms?"

Balken Steel chuckled as he tore of his remaining singed sleeve, exposing both of his shiny silver arms. His shoulder and elbows let out a hiss of steam as blue electrical sparks frequently ran down the length of his arms. "I have my ways and I do have my own artificially intelligent equipment." Transforming his other arm into a gun, he now aimed both gun-arms at Shego and open fired at both her and Kim. "Although the more complex tasks like mending my arms were done via wirings directly connected to my brain and on my equipment." He fired shot after shot, managing to keep track of the whereabouts of both women who were busily evading his onslaught of attacks.

Shego threw herself against a thick girder, wall-kicked away from it and just barely evaded a barrage of bullets that embedded itself in the rusting metal. She then ducked behind the cover of a vertical beam and waited for her next chance to attack. Even if she was able to evade the bullets, she had to worry about the potential ricochet effect. There were several times that Shego almost got hit by a ricocheting bullet as she jumped, flipped and ran about. Peeking around, Shego saw her charge activate the blue force fields, protecting herself from Balken's deadly projectiles. "Go find whatever it is that's transmitting the signals!" she shouted.

"What?" Kim shouted back, flinching as her force field rippled as round after round of bullets smashed into it.

"I'll distract him!" Shego shouted back, moving away from her hiding place and charging towards the cyborg. She ducked suddenly, managing to evade a kick to her head. The raven-haired woman could not resist taunting her opponent as she got back into a fighting stance. "All that metal in your body makes you too heavy to-" She ended up finishing her sentence with a grunt of pain as she choked out blood from her mouth. Balken Steel was quick for a cyborg. In retaliation, he had kneed her gut with enough force to drive her breathless. "Heh…" Shego muttered, swiping the back of her hand against her mouth and chin, which dribbled blood. "If circumstances had not turned out this way, I'd admit that you're probably a tad more fun to fight with compared to Kimmie."

"A compliment that I would take willingly if circumstances had been different," Balken answered, emotion still devoid in his speaking voice. He raised his arms and quickly retransformed them back into fists.

Shego grinned underneath her collar and lunged forward once more to attack the cyborg. "You know," she said in between punches and kicks. "If I was still a criminal, I would have offered my services to you as a mercenary for hire." She managed to land a roundhouse kick on the side of Balken's head and jumped back to watch the cyborg twist his head back into place.

"Shego!" Kim shouted from the opposite side of the tower.

"What? It's an 'if and then' type of statement!" Shego retorted, dodging a succession of heavy punches aimed at her head and torso. "It would have been nice to work with a criminal who knows what he's doing!" she told Kim as she took a direct hit to her chest, which threw her back against vertical beam. "Now stop distracting me! Have you found that damned transmission device yet?" She managed to catch a kick to her chest with her hands and deftly twisted Balken's foot hard, toppling him over. This time, she lunged forward and attempted to drive her foot into the cyborg's throat, but Shego felt her legs kicked out from under her.

Kim momentarily put down her force fields and scanned her surroundings. It was harder than she thought. She had no idea what the transmission device looked like and it wasn't exactly an easy thing to do with the tangle of metal girders and beams around her and the presence of an attacking cyborg. She was also highly distracted with the fact that Shego was struggling in her fight against Balken Steel.

"Damn it princess! Hurry it up!" Shego yelled, catching a hammer punch with both of her hands and feeling her bones and muscles voice out a protest. She held the impending fist above her head and felt large beads of sweat develop on her face. Balken Steel was stronger and she now had to resort to imbuing her muscles with her power to give her added strength. Even with the improved strength and the known consequences, she continued to struggle against the cyborg. Coming to another decision, Shego began to gather power in her fists as she switched to an evasive strategy. If she couldn't win against Balken Steel on a hand-to-hand combat basis, she might as well incapacitate him. Flipping backwards onto another beam, Shego then unleashed a large blast of fiery green energy at Balken who put up his steel arms to protect his face.

A plume of smoke spread from the spot Balken stood at concealing his current state. Kim kept an eye on the battle between her protector and the cyborg as she continued to search for her quarry. "Where is it?" she muttered, jumping to a higher metal strut.

Shego let down her guard as she watched Kim go up a level. "Still can't find it? Just go ask nerdlinger for-" she halted her statement and stared at the dissipating smoke. "No way!" Shego exclaimed, lighting up her fists once more. "I put enough heat in that blast to melt anything!"

Balken Steel laughed as he stepped out of the smoke, metal arms clearly undamaged from Shego's attack. "I of course took into consideration your powers when I upgraded and fine-tuned my mechanical arms," he told her. "Melting me is no longer an option that is available!" he roared, jumping across the gap and knocking Shego off the beam.

"Shego!" Kim shouted as her protector and the cyborg fell down a few levels and finally landed on a wide metal beam, denting it heavily.

Shego rolled away and just barely avoided a bone-crushing punch to her face. "Don't come!" Shego shouted back at her as she frowned at the large dent on the metal created by Balken Steel's punch. "Find that transmission device no matter what!"

"You should probably hurry too," Balken remarked, chasing Shego from one beam to another. He was proving to be as limber as Shego even though he was partly made of metal. "I've already remotely reprogrammed the Silver Lifeblood to perform at a higher level. They'll be destroying all white blood cells in the blood and start closing down the important organs of the patients they're servicing!" He managed to trip Shego with his foot and aimed a electrically-charged punch at Shego's stomach, which sent the villainess crashing into another beam. "I'd give them five minutes or so to survive!" He grabbed Shego by the arm and swung her body into an adjacent strut. There was an audible metallic twang as flesh and bone met with metal in a hard collision.

Kim cried out when Shego let out a yell of agonized pain and clutched at her shoulder. "I'm coming Shego!"

"Stay there!" Shego shouted back through grit teeth. "Five minutes Kim! You have to find it and destroy it before it kills the hospital patients!" Trying her best to ignore the immense pain in her right shoulder, Shego began to throw blasts of green energy at the cyborg to buy time. "Stop gawking!" Shego yelled one last time before tumbling down a few more levels as she grappled with the bigger and taller cyborg.

Feeling rather lost and confused, Kim ripped her gaze away from the ensuing battle beneath her and continued her search. After nearly half a minute of jumping from one girder to another, Kim finally pulled out her kimmunicator and sought advice from Wade. "Wade! I can't find it!" she said in vain.

"_You haven't found it yet? There's a team of Global Justice agents waiting on the ground."_

"I don't even know what it looks like!"

"_Have you tried looking underneath the struts?" _Wade asked.

Kim blinked and stepped off the strut she stood on, grabbing hold of the edge and dangling in the air. She scanned her surroundings and finally spotted a black box with a blinking red light at the juncture of a vertical and horizontal beam. "I found it!" Kim exclaimed triumphantly. She swung to a nearby beam and prepared to destroy the box when she felt the beam she stood on vibrate. Turning around, she stared up into the emotionless face of Balken Steel.

"Move and I'll let your protector drop to her death," Balken threatened, holding a motionless Shego over the edge by the front of her jacket. "That's right, Kim Possible. Step away and let those patients die. They probably wouldn't have survived for another year anyway."

"Please," Kim pleaded, gesturing with her hands for emphasis. "Please give Shego to me!" Somehow, Balken Steel was able to knock Shego unconscious and now she was faced with a dilemma. Either she destroy the box and risk getting Shego and herself killed and save a hundred odd patients in the ICU ward or she save Shego and let the patients die.

"I'll hand her over to you as soon as the Silver Lifeblood is done snuffing out the lives of those patients for me," Balken replied, easily keeping Shego in the air with one hand, while he transformed his free arm into a gun-cannon type of extension. "So what is it going to be, Kim Possible? Do you save your protector or save the patients?" he asked. "Whatever decision you pick, there's certainly going to be a life extinguished."

Kim clenched her fists tightly as she fought to come to a decision.

"Two minutes," Balken informed her, aiming his gun-cannon arm at her.

"You're crazy!" Kim yelled at the cyborg. She had to do something quick.

"Just a minute more," Balken told her. "But actually, I'm rather impatient so I'll just do away with you both!" He took aim at Kim and fired a large ball of red energy.

Now Kim was ready. She thought that the cyborg would wait out the remaining minute. In a split second, she was able to transform her arm into its scoop-like extension and caught the red-glowing projectile. With a yell of effort, Kim threw the projectile back and watched as it hit the beam directly above Balken Steel's head. As the metal ruptured and let out an eerie groan, Kim lunged forward and kicked at the cyborg's chest. To her delight, Balken stumbled back and lost his grip on Shego's jacket, letting the villainess fall from the tower and towards the ground.

Kim jumped off the tower to chase after Shego's falling body just as the metal beam finally gave way and dropped down, crushing Balken Steel and at the same time destroying the black transmission box as it collided with the beam directly below it. There was a series of metallic groans as the rusting structure went into a chain effect. The upper levels dropped down onto the lover levels of the telecommunication tower while various metal struts either snapped or bent due to the weight that fell upon them.

As metal debris rained down, Kim streamlined her body so that she could catch up with Shego's falling body. Within seconds, she caught up with her protector and grabbed her. Once she had her arms firmly around her unconscious lover, Kim whipped out her grappling hook and fired it at the tower. When the hook caught on one of the metal struts, Kim let the rope grow taut then quickly lowered herself to the ground where the waiting agents dodged dangerous projectiles.

"Look out!" an agent shouted a warning.

Kim craned her neck, eyes widening when she saw a large piece of metal as big as ten-wheeler truck falling towards her. Hugging Shego closer to her body, she activated her force fields just in time. The huge piece of debris glanced off Kim's force field and crashed onto the ground a few inches away from her. It was at that moment that Kim's battle-suit gave out and used up all its power. As the force fields winked out, Kim held Shego on her lap and tried to wake her.

"Shego!" Kim tried, looking around in vain for a vehicle to use. Spotting the Global Justice agents on their feet, she called one over. "Help me bring her to the hospital!" she cried out, allowing one barrel-chested man to take Shego into his arms and carry her to a nearby car. While he put Shego into the backseat, Kim hopped in through the opposite door. "Hurry!" she ordered, holding Shego's head steady on her lap. She continued her attempts of waking Shego as the agent drove over the speed limit and expertly wove around the late night traffic.

As the car skid to a stop at the emergency room, Shego let out a low groan. "Am I dead yet?" she asked, flinching as her shoulder flared out painfully. "What happened, Kimmie?"

"I managed to deflect Balken Steel's cannon fire and knocked the upper parts of the tower down," she explained to Shego, resisting the urge to hug the villainess in public and to avoid aggravating the older woman's injured shoulder. "I jumped off when he dropped you and I think the upper levels of the tower fell on top of him and also destroyed the transmissions box." She let the agent carry Shego into the hospital where a nurse led them into a spare room just outside of the ICU ward.

"Which only means that we're not sure that Balken Steel is dead," Shego rasped. "Put me down gently you big ape!" she snapped at the agent who was in the process of lowering her onto the bed. "My whole back is sore and my shoulder feels like it's on fire," she muttered just as a pair of doctors trudged into her room.

"We need to examine her," one doctor informed Kim while the other doctor moved closer to Shego's bed and reached over to unzip her leather jacket.

Letting out a curse, the still disguised villainess cuffed the doctor aside. She had no intention of disrobing and allowing these doctors to prod her body and find out who she was. "No one's examining me," she snarled at them, wincing as a starburst of pain flared in her injured shoulder.

"Let them examine you, Shego," Betty Director ordered, stalking inside the room. A pair of agents blocked the door from any passers-by. "They've been selected and are both under contract to conceal your identity," she informed the scowling villainess. "Go ahead," she told the doctors who hesitantly approached the bed. Facing Kim, she said, "Good work. You successfully stopped the Silver Lifeblood."

"She had help!" Shego barked as her jacket was carefully taken off her body and put aside. Instead of wearing her usual black racing suit for that mission, Shego just wore a sleeveless black t-shirt and tight black pants. She didn't exactly have the luxury of time to don her racing suit because Betty had been hurrying her and Kim earlier that evening.

Betty frowned at the villainess. "I know," Betty replied patiently the looked grimly at Kim. "Look, there were fatalities." She placed her hands on each of Kim's shoulders to steady her. "This isn't your fault Kim, ok?" The director took a deep breath. "You were able to stop the Silver Lifeblood in time, but… there were a number of patients whose bodies could not take the internal attack on their bodies."

"No…" Kim whispered, beginning to tremble. She could not believe it. It was the first time people actually died because of her.

"Yes," Betty told her, shaking her head. "Four people have died, but if it weren't for your help perhaps more than a hundred lives would have perished from this folly." She steadied the swaying redhead before continuing. "Two elderly people, an infant and a child. It could have been worse Kim so don't blame yourself for this."

"Let me through!" A young woman's voice shouted from outside the room.

"No one is allowed in here," Betty said in a curt voice, brows furrowing when the stranger managed to push through her agents and stumbled into the room.

Kim could only gawk as Tai glared angrily at her, tears streaming down her tanned cheeks. She saw the anguish clearly visible in her friend's amber eyes. It felt as is a sledgehammer had struck her when she realized what had happened. "Tai…" she tried, her voice shaking.

"You promised that you'd do something about it!" Tai shouted, her voice just as shaky as Kim's. Her tightly clenched fists shook violently due to her anger. "You promised Kim!"

"I-I tried," Kim told the athlete who was close to hysterics.

"Well you didn't!" Tai snapped. "Vaughn… my brother… he's dead," she whispered harshly with her head bowed down. Without another word, the football player rushed out of the room, leaving a deeply depressed Kim behind.

Betty Director let out a long sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead. "This is going to be a long night," she murmured. "We'll handle the deaths. You two," she pointed at the two agents stationed at the door. "The both of you stay here and make sure that no one else comes in." With that, the imposing woman straightened her shoulders and stalked out of the room.

While Kim slumped against the wall and let the full blow of what had just happened sink in, the two doctors finished their examination of Shego. "You pulled a few muscles in your back," the doctor informed the villainess. "The worse injury you have is a dislocated right shoulder. We'll be fixing that now." He motioned over to his fellow doctor who held onto Shego. "Brace yourself," the doctor warned as he began to exert pressure onto Shego's injured shoulder.

Kim slumped down to the floor and hugged her knees. "Was it really my fault?" she asked no one in particular. "Because of my indecisiveness and delay, four people lost their lives." She hid her face in her knees and rapidly blinked her over bright eyes. She thought back to that moment where she had a standoff with Balken Steel. Part of the reason why she had dawdled was because of her concern for Shego's life. "Am I selfish for wanting to save you first?" Kim asked softly as she watched Shego grit her teeth as the doctor finally popped her dislocated shoulder back into its socket while the other tried his best to restrain her. "If I had not saved you and went for the box, then maybe Vaughn and the other three patients would still be alive now." She hid her face in her trembling hands. "But you probably would have died if I didn't do anything."

"Damn it! That hurts!" Shego shouted at the pair of doctors who now backed away and left the room. "There's no use blaming yourself, Kimmie," Shego told her, gingerly fingering her injured shoulder as she carefully sat up. "One-eye wasn't wrong when she said that things could have been worse. There will always be consequences and this was just one of those unforeseen ones." She let out a long sigh when she saw her charge's shoulders jerk uncontrollably. "Come here, princess," she ordered, crooking her fingers at the redhead for emphasis.

Kim did as she was told and walked over to the bed. She let out a whimper as a hot stream of tears flowed down her cheeks. "I feel awful that Vaughn and the others had to die," she sobbed, allowing Shego to pull her onto the bed and into her warm embrace. "It shouldn't have ended up this way." She buried her face into Shego uninjured shoulder and tightly wound her arms around her lover.

The raven-haired woman felt her heart clench painfully at how depressed Kim had become. "It was unavoidable, Kimmie," she assured the younger girl. "Stop blaming yourself. It's making me depressed," she ordered with a scowl. When Kim pulled away to wipe at the tears on her face, Shego reached out with her hand and gently tucked a stray lock of red hair behind Kim's ear. Staring into that somber face, the villainess could not resist but to lean down and chastely kiss the teen hero. After she pulled away and leaned back against the headboard of her bed, Shego gently caressed Kim's cheek with one pale and slender hand. "Look on the bright side," she started. "You still have me." She knew it sounded obnoxious, but she figured it would cheer Kim up anyhow.

"You're conceited," Kim told Shego in a flat voice, her brow wrinkling.

Shego chuckled and cupped Kim's cheek, taking delight in how the redhead leaned her face into her hand. "You're too cute, princess," she murmured, wiping away a stray tear before suddenly enveloping Kim in a hug. "I'll protect you no matter what," she whispered determinedly into Kim's ear.

Kim could not help but smile softly as she hugged her protector back. That was as close as she can get to an 'I love you'. That was all she needed to know.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_**I had a bit of difficulty writing this chapter, but I think it turned out well enough. Once again, I've been really busy with school to the point that I was entertaining thoughts of putting this story on hiatus until Christmas break came along. Fortunately enough, I decided to continue writing no matter how slow it takes me to update. I've already been thinking about it and I might end this story in around 5-8 more chapters. It's getting more difficult to come up with things to write about and school has been really hectic for me. There's also the fact that I have another story that I want to start on, but I cannot do that since I'm still doing this particular story.**_

_**Regarding the new story that I've been planning, I actually need some help (mostly opinions anyway). I've currently made a lengthy outline of my next story which will be in the Mai Hime category. The outline pretty much lists down the main characters and an outline of the first few chapters. It'll be a first for me to write a story in the Mai Hime category (obviously it's a natsuki x shizuru one) so I'm in need of some opinions before I actually start to work with the story. So for any interested readers/writers who are also fans of Mai Hime, please feel free to PM me so that I could send over my outline and get your opinions and suggestions. **_

_**Next Chapter: The Possible Reunion **_


	16. Possible Reunion

_Chapter 16: "The Possible Reunion"_

Much to the disappointment of Kim, Shego had firmly told her redheaded charge that she would not be sharing her bed for a few days.

"Right now, I'm low on power," Shego had told her when they arrived back at their apartment in Go City. "That means I can't heal as fast as I usually do and as much as I want to share my bed, I need some time and space to myself to get back on track."

"You have a king-sized bed!" Kim had argued back, finding this supposed issue rather silly.

Shego only laughed at Kim as she blocked Kim's path to her bedroom. "Just for a day or two. Believe me, you wouldn't like to experience sleeping in the same bed as me especially when my power is recharging," she told the redhead. "I have this bad habit of discharging sparks of my power and I get quite restless in bed," she added sheepishly. "You'd probably end up with burns, bruises or on the floor the following morning."

Kim released a sigh as she replayed the conversation in her mind. It was the first time in months that she had to go back to sleeping in the bedroom she now owned in Shego's home sett. Ever since they officially got into a relationship back in London, Shego had insisted that the two of them share a room and bed whenever possible. Kim had not minded the proposed arrangement despite her earlier mistrust of Shego's intentions. At that time, the teen hero had not craved for physical affection so she had been nervous every night whenever Shego would invite her to bed. The villainess may have been a rude and snarky woman, but she was greatly principled especially when it came to the unspoken requisites of the relationship game. As proof for that, the green-hued ex-hero never made any sexual advances on Kim... that was until recently.

"...now if you turn to chapter eight of your text book, you'll find a case that each of you should read and submit a written output by the end of this week."

"More work," Kim murmured, noting down her homework in a small notebook then flipped through the pages of her book to look the case over. Thankfully, it seemed to be a simple enough matter. She let out another loud sigh, which garnered a scalding look from her professor. She didn't feel sorry at all for her behavior. She was too caught up with the fact that she was missing Shego terribly. It's been three days since their mission at Chicago, but despite the return to their privacy Kim wasn't spending as much time as she wanted with Shego. Now that she thought about it, the last time Shego had kissed or even hugged her was in the hospital room in Chicago.

Finally, the school bell tolled and Kim and her other classmates filed out of the room. The teen hero was planning to head back home and was routinely searching for the familiar leather clad protector of hers when she realized that Shego wasn't going to be available until later that night. Her bodyguard had informed her earlier that morning that a team of GJ agents would be taking her place for today. She was due to give a full report of the telecommunications tower tussle and she wasn't sure how long it would last.

As she exited the building, she immediately noticed three burly men in dark suits lounging around on a nearby bench. One of them got out of his seat and approached Kim, greeting her with a crisp salute. "Where shall you be going Miss Possible?" he asked politely. He had spiky short light brown hair, sloe black eyes, a strong jaw and a nose that looked like it had been broken a few times. All in all, the agent looked rather intimidating.

"Home," Kim answered, shouldering her backpack. "I'm rather tired and it would be less troublesome for you if I headed straight home." A strong breeze descended upon them. Kim ran her fingers through her hair to tame its sudden disarrayed form. "Shall we head home then?"

The burly agent nodded and whistled for his comrades. In a truly practiced manner, two of the agents walked approximately six feet ahead of Kim while the one who spoke to Kim walked at her side.

"Why are the three of you here?" Kim asked as they made their through the campus.

The agent at her side gave her a quizzical look. "Pardon? I don't really follow."

"Why is it that I'm assigned three agents when we've just come from foiling Balken Steel's most recent scheme?" she asked in a more specific manner. "Even if Balken was able to escape, it would take him more than a few weeks to recover and come up with another elaborate scheme to throw at us."

The agent nodded his head. "You are wondering why there's an increase in your security when we're experiencing a lull," he guessed, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

"Yes," Kim replied.

"The first reason you already know. Shego requested that we guard you today since she'll be meeting with the director," the agent explained. "The other reason is related to the director's approval of this security detail." He paused, a frown forming on his face.

"What is it?"

"We've been getting... complaints from the public about how Global Justice is handling this situation," he told Kim, the frown never leaving his face. "Let's just say that some complaints are enough cause for us to worry about." He exchanged knowing grim looks with his companions.

Kim blinked once and furrowed her eyebrows at the taller man. "You mean the complaints are actually threats," she pointed out drily. She almost expected it especially from those families who had one of their loved ones suffer and die because of the Silver Lifeblood mishap. "And these threats include life threatening ones?"

The agent nodded. "We're simply taking precautions," he told her. "The director would have our hides if we didn't ensure your safety," he said, followed by a clear shiver. "At least that's considered tame compared to the treatment we'll get from Shego if she finds out that you have been harmed," he added.

The teen hero looked at the agent with surprise before surrendering herself to laughter. "So Shego threatened you?" She swiped at the forming tears in her eyes as she continued to smile at her temporary guard. "What exactly did she say?"

The Global Justice agent shook his head vehemently. "It's not for me to say and if I do tell you, that would be considered as tattling. Besides, I don't think it would be something appropriate for someone like you to hear." He tinkered with the cuffs of his sleeves. "I think we'd get subjected to a worse fate if that were to happen."

Kim chuckled at this some more. "Well I won't pry anymore," she decided. It was for the well-being of the agents accompanying her now. "What's your name by the way?"

"You can call me Delos." He pointed out his other two companions. "The one with the mini-Mohawk is Guy and the Mr. Clean look-a-like is Theo."

"I heard that Delos," Theo called back to them. "Don't mind him Miss Possible. He always attaches Mr. Clean to anyone who's bald."

"But you have to admit yourself that the Mr. Clean company was looking forward to having you become the spokesperson of their products," Guy pointed out, barely flinching when Theo punched him hard on his arm. It was clear to see that these three men were good friends with each other. "I didn't think they'd give up after hounding you for almost two months," he teased his bald friend.

"I never thought that Global Justice agents were this silly!" Kim giggled.

Delos sighed. "It sucks that the overall image of Global Justice agents has been tarnished because of one person," he said gloomily.

Guy nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah! Because of that, it's way harder for us to get dates!"

"So when people think of your typical GJ agent, who do they specifically think of anyway?" Kim asked.

The three agents glanced at each other. "Agent Will Du," they said in unison, grinning when Kim started to laugh uncontrollably.

"I feel for you guys!" Kim choked in between bouts of laughter. "No wonder you guys are concerned about your love lives! It's unfair though that you have to get dragged down because of Will Du's name although I don't think he's concerned at all about his social life." They left the campus and found themselves on the streets. "Walking or riding?" she asked.

"Riding," Delos replied, pulling out his car keys from his coat pocket and pointing the remote at a nearby black Lexus IS F09. "Relatively new model," he told Kim before she could ask. "As agents with higher positions in the organization, we do get some benefits." He opened the car door for the teen hero and waited for her to get in. While he walked around the car to get into the driver's seat, Guy took the passenger seat and Theo sat opposite Kim in the backseat.

"Do you really wish to head home right away?" Theo wondered as Delos moved out of his parking space. "We were ordered to follow you wherever you go and not dictate where you're supposed to go on this day," he reminded Kim. "It really is of no problem to us if you have other plans."

Kim shook her head. "It's seriously ok!" she told the group of agents.

"We're quite serious too, Miss Possible," Delos put in. "We really insist that you go about your business without worrying about us."

The redhead frowned. If she did decide to go home and send the Delos and the rest home, it would make them look like they were shirking their duties. If she invited them inside the apartment, she wasn't sure how Shego would react. Either way, she didn't want the agents to get into trouble. Making up her mind, she asked, "Would you happen to know if Tai has come back to school?"

Theo crossed his arms over his chest. "You mean the girl whose younger brother passed away?" he clarified. "From the reports of our other agent friends, Tai left the hospital when her parents arrived to collect the body and arrange for the funeral," he informed Kim. "She has been in Go City since yesterday, but hasn't left her home."

"How do you know this?"

"Orders," Guy replied. "Many GJ agents have been ordered to keep track of those people who have the Silver Lifeblood in their systems and their families."

"More precautionary measures in other words, Miss Possible," Delos told her. "What do you intend to do then?"

Kim remained silent for a few seconds. "Could you head over to the park?" she finally asked.

"Certainly," Delos replied as he made a detour and headed to the Go City park.

* * *

It was as she expected. At a secluded area of the expansive park, there stood a slim girl, chest heaving as a football rolled back to her feet. The girl's dark ebony brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, which whipped around her head every time she kicked the football against the wall that perimeters the park. As usual, Tai wore her football varsity jacket over a red t-shirt and she wore a serviceable pair of worn jeans that were torn at the knees. People would usually see the bright smile on Tai's face whenever she was doing her favorite activity, but now people kept their distance from the angry girl.

"At this rate, your football is going to blow up or the wall is going to need to undergo some repairs."

Tai gave the ball one powerful kick and caught the ball with the inside of her foot when it bounced back. Even if her back was to Kim, Tai's body language easily gave away her feelings. Her leg muscles were stiff as she continued to kick her football rather angrily at the wall. The girl was never stiff whenever she was on the field, but today was an exception. Tai's face was slack and almost devoid of emotion except for the slight furrowing of her eyebrows when Kim spoke to her. Dark circles under those usually cheery amber eyes told the teen hero that her friend had not been sleeping well.

Kim sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Tai… can we talk?"

"We have nothing to talk about," Tai answered bitterly, this time catching the rebounding ball with the inside of her knee. "It's best you leave me alone, Kim," she said, bouncing the ball a few times on one knee then passing it over to her other knee.

"There won't be any other time for us to talk with the way things are going now."

Tai frowned deeply then kneed the football up high in the air and jumped up to deliver one of her signature midair kicks. She was a bit distracted so her foot hit the ball a few inches away from its mark, making the ball sail into the air, hit the wall and bounce off in another direction. The football player's body moved as if she was going to go retrieve the ball.

"Will you please listen to me?" Kim asked again, this time with more resolve.

"Listen to you?" Tai demanded. "The last time I listened to you, you gave me an empty promise!" She laughed bitterly, pressing her hand against her brow. "I don't need your apologies, Kim," she said harshly.

Kim took a deep breath to calm down. Tai was hurting and it was reasonable that she was treating her this way. She did play a role in the death of Vaughn and the other three patients. Still she still felt that it was unfair that her friend was pinning the blame on her. "I know that, but I'd still like to try anyway." She took a step forward and tentatively placed a hand on Tai's shoulder.

"Don't..." Tai whispered, her body stiffening from the contact. "I don't need your sympathy."

"Perhaps you don't," Kim began, keeping her hand on Tai's shoulder. "But I need something from you."

"And what's that?"

Kim smiled and lightly squeezed the thin shoulder beneath her hand. "Your forgiveness and a chance to make things right."

Tai whirled around and glared at the redhead, her amber eyes over bright with unshed tears. "You think I'll forgive you this easily?" she demanded. "You're the reason why my only brother died!" she let out in a louder voice.

"I know that," Kim snapped back, mentally slapping herself for losing her grip on her temper. "I know that, Tai…" she said in a softer voice. "You belittle me," she told the distraught girl before her. "Did you honestly believe that I haven't had my own share of suffering from what happened? Is there any other way that you could hit me harder than I've been hitting myself for what I've done?" she asked, face grim. "I know I made the mistake of promising you something that I wasn't even sure of fulfilling," she told the other girl. "I know I made the mistake of hesitating to do away with the threat when I was faced with saving the patients lives or saving my protector's life."

Tai opened her mouth to argue back, but when she did, not a sound came out. She closed her mouth and opened it once more, intent on countering but was once again speechless. She shut her mouth once again, lips pressing tightly against each other as she struggled to come up with something to say. Almost a minute passed when she finally let out a frustrated cry and pressed both her hands against her head. "This is so… stupid," she let out in a soft voice, refusing to look up into Kim's face.

"I know…" Kim replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Things are just so messed up," she admitted.

"He… was always talking about wanting to become a hero just like you when he grew up," Tai mumbled.

"What?"

The football player shook her head and finally raised her head to look at Kim straight in the eye. "Even until that moment before he died, all Vaughn could talk about was how it was so cool for you to travel all over and save people." A stray tear travelled down her cheek. "I can't help but feel that it's unfair for him to be taken away. He looked up to you and his life was taken away because you couldn't… you couldn't…" Tai choked as an onrush of tears befell her.

Kim blinked rapidly to prevent herself from crying. She seriously wanted to avoid shedding any more tears since she practically cried herself out a few days ago. Instead, she slowly approached her crying friend and gently gathered her in her arms. "I'll avenge Vaughn," she whispered determinedly into Tai's ear, feeling her friend's shoulders shake uncontrollably. "And the rest of those people who had to die," she added. "Balken Steel won't be getting away with the crimes he's done."

Tai sniffed and reached around Kim, one hand going up to her face to swipe at her tears and the other settling behind the hero's back. "You talk too big," she accused her, voice a little hoarse. She relaxed in Kim's embrace and slightly hugged her friend back. "I just hope that you'll be able to walk your talk too."

Kim chuckled and tightened her hold around her friend. "I'll make things right. It's the least that I can do for you… and for Vaughn."

* * *

"Oh for crying out loud! Can you just come inside already?"

"We'd rather not Miss Possible," Delos replied, looking very uneasy.

Kim let out an exasperated breath and propped her fists on her hips. "You're all being silly!" she told the three GJ agents. "Shego won't kill you just because you've stepped foot into her home." She scowled at the apprehensive group. "Besides, she won't be able to make a fuss about this since I was the one who invited you in." After Kim had made her peace with Tai, she and her three temporary bodyguards dropped the football player off at her dormitory before heading back to Shego's apartment.

Theo shook his head. "It would be best that we stay outside," he said, getting nods of agreement from his companions. "We'd be appropriately doing our duties by patrolling outside rather than spending time inside your apartment."

"We do have other things to do," Guy added, before Kim could say something. "Headquarters is expecting our reports in a while."

"All of which you could do inside the apartment," Kim pointed out. "Look!" She gestured at the dark overcast skies. "It's going to rain soon and I don't want any of you staying outside!"

Delos pointed at his car. "We could always stay inside our vehicle," he proposed. "Most of our work can be done inside anyway since it's pretty much fully equipped." He frowned as the skies opened up and began to pour rain over them. "Come on boys," he beckoned to his friends. To Kim, he said, "We will stay with you until Shego comes back." With that, the trio of agents strode towards their car and boarded it.

"Stubborn…" Kim muttered under her breath as she went back inside the apartment. The redhead glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearing six in the evening. "I should probably make dinner, but I'm not at all sure if Shego will be home in time for it." She sighed and suddenly felt herself be pulled into a bout of loneliness. "There's no use to sulk about it!" Kim told herself. "I can preoccupy myself with other things like…" she furrowed her brows in thought. "Like homework… and… cleaning!"

It was pretty much a useless effort to try to keep her mind off the absence of her lover, but at least the apartment was clean and her homework was done. By the time the digital clock on the living room table struck nine in the evening, Kim was just about ready to fall asleep. She plopped down on the black leather couch, leaned against its arm and stretched her legs out on its surface.

"Where are you?" Kim murmured, glancing out the window and seeing that the drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour. "Come home already." She grabbed a throw pillow, hugged it against her chest and decided to rest her eyes for a few moments. It did not take too long for her to doze off on the couch.

* * *

She wasn't really physically tired, but having to spend the whole day indoors listening to reports with the higher-ups of Global Justice was enough to give Shego a splitting headache. She just barely managed the trip back to her apartment on her trusty Ducati. What she needed the most was a painkiller... and maybe some time with her redheaded charge. The villainess had to admit that she did miss Kim. The past few days had been spent with minimal time and contact with each other. Her power supply was finally back to normal and fully replenished and that meant that she could go back to sharing her bed again.

"Finally home," Shego let out as she took off her helmet and released her sweat-dampened hair from its original confinement. Walking over to the light switch in her apartment's garage, the ex-hero reached up to release her ponytailed her from its hair tie, but opted against it. Just as she was about to enter her apartment, Shego let out two huge sneezes. "Damn it," she cursed, swiping at her nose with her gloved hand. "I shouldn't have ridden home in the rain." Another sneeze befell her as she pushed open the door and got inside.

She left a trail of water in her wake as she made her way into the main room. To put it simply, Shego felt miserable. Not only was she coming down with a cold, but she was also nursing a splitting headache. Despite the pain, Shego was quick to notice that something looked a bit different. Somehow, her usually neat apartment was even neater than it should be, not that she had anything against it. Unlike Draken, Shego always kept her place orderly. "Did I ask the cleaners to come today?" the villainess wondered aloud, stripping off her leather jacket and unzipping her race suit. "Kim?" she called, making her way towards the stairs. She assumed that her young lover was probably already asleep in her bedroom and was about to head up the stairs when she caught some movement at the corners of her eyes.

A soft incoherent mumble emanated from the couch, drawing a wary but nonetheless curious Shego over. Leaning over the backrest, Shego could not help but grin at the sight before her. There lay Kim on her side with one of the throw pillows pinned between her legs. Her auburn hair splayed around her head and contrasted against the black leather beneath her. Kim slept with her lips slightly parted, and her relaxed fists tucked under her chin. The raven-haired woman could have spent hours just looking at Kim, but a painful throb in her head threw her off.

Stalking over to a nearby closet, Shego quietly opened it, grabbed a blanket and stalked back towards the couch. Ever so gently, she eased the blanket onto the sleeping figure, stroked Kim's hair a few times then trudged up the stairs to her room. She wasn't really thinking straight anymore when she was finally inside her bedroom. It took her more than a few minutes to locate her stash of painkillers and in the process of searching, she actually knocked down quite a few items in her room. With the painkiller in her system, Shego dragged her feet across the room to take a quick hot shower and get into clothing that was more comfortable.

Twenty minutes had gone by, but the painkiller had not done its work leaving Shego very frustrated and in pain. "Damn it," she muttered, falling heavily onto her king-sized bed. "When is it going to end?" She rolled onto her stomach and grit her teeth as she withstood a series of painful throbs in her head. Shego was so preoccupied with her battle that she did not notice the door to her bedroom creak open and the soft padding of someone's feet entering.

"Shego?" Kim called, groping for the nearby table lamp's switch. "Are you awake?"

"How can I be asleep when this freaking headache is keeping me awake?" Shego growled, not bothering to turn over and look at her lover.

The small table lamp barely illuminated the room. "It's hard for me to sleep too especially when someone's making a lot of noise in her bedroom," Kim retorted, the worried look never leaving her face. "Are you alright?" she asked, slipping onto the bed and placing a hand on the small of Shego's back. "Have you taken any medication?"

"I did," Shego muttered in a muffled voice. "It's not just the headache that's bothering me, but I think I'm coming down with a cold," she told Kim. She let out a weary sigh. "I'll be alright, Kimmie. I just need to sleep on it and I'll be better tomorrow morning."

Kim scowled. Shego's stubbornness tended to be both annoying and unreasonable sometimes. "Turn over and sit up," she ordered, nudging her protector's side with her hand. "I think I may be able to help you out."

Shego groaned and burrowed her head deeper into her pillow. "What could you possibly do to help me?" she asked in a muffled voice.

"Just trust me and do as I say!" Kim replied. When the raven-haired woman didn't move, Kim let out a frustrated sigh and rolled the older woman onto her back. "Can you please sit up?" she asked patiently and watched as Shego finally made an effort to do Kim's bidding. Satisfied with the effort, Kim walked around the bed, slipped behind Shego and gently positioned her hands on her lover's shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Shego grunted, her body instantly reacting by stiffening for a few seconds before turning into putty in Kim's hands. Shego could only murmur out her surprise as she leaned her head forward to give Kim more access to her neck and shoulders.

"Like?" Kim asked, feeling a bit smug. It was actually quite a gamble for her to give Shego a massage since she wasn't that knowledgeable about it. She did know that giving a person a shoulder and neck massage would help ease a bad headache.

"Didn't realize that you've got talent in this area," Shego told Kim. "Go a bit harder?" she asked, then let out a contented sigh when Kim complied with her request. "Where did you learn how to give a massage?"

Kim shrugged and continued her treatment. "I picked up a few stuff from mom's physical therapist friends," she explained. "I used to help out a lot at the hospital during my free time but then that kind of took a backseat when the missions started to pile up." She smiled when Shego let out a soft moan of pleasure as her fingers found a sensitive spot at the juncture of the raven-haired woman's shoulders. "Found your sweet spot!" she said gleefully as she continued her ministrations.

"It's… starting to hurt," Shego told the redhead and languidly gestured at the bedside table. "There should be a bottle of massage oil in the drawer." She felt one of Kim's hands leave her back then felt the other halt its motions. "Why'd you stop?" she demanded, her headache almost completely gone. She wasn't sure if the massage helped out, but she wasn't about to stop Kim from continuing.

"The oil is going to get on your clothes," Kim informed her lover.

"You make it sound like a big problem," Shego muttered, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it off her body. It was almost inaudible, but the villainess was able to pick up the small gasp that escaped Kim's lips as the shirt came off and tossed onto the bed. She could not help but smile as she tried to imagine the look on her charge's face. Shego was sure that Kim was deeply embarrassed. The teen hero still wasn't used to seeing her half-naked and even the sight of her bare back was probably enough to make Kim's nose bleed. "If you keep me waiting, I'm going to put my shirt back on and go to sleep," she threatened when Kim didn't make a move. "You can also carry your butt back to your bedroom!" she added, feeling her charge shift at her back. "I was planning to let you start sleeping again in my bed tonight too."

"Alright!" Kim exclaimed. "I get it already!" She hurriedly squeezed a dollop of the oil into her hands and began to spread them over Shego's shoulders. "You're too demanding you know?" she muttered as she began to apply pressure to various areas of Shego's upper back. She let her thumbs crawl up Shego's spine then let her fingers press down on the tops of the villainess' slender shoulders.

Kim swallowed hard. Her mind fought against her, but she clamped down hard on her raging hormones. The mere sight of Shego's soft and supple flesh tempted her almost to madness. The task became even more complicated because her protector was quite vocal with her pleasure. Shaking the malicious thoughts away, Kim said, "Can you stop making those..." she bit her lower lip, feeling embarrassed.

"Making those what?" Shego asked.

"Noises," Kim murmured, fingers gliding gently up and down the sides of Shego's neck.

"Don't tell me!" Shego chuckled. "You're aroused aren't you?"

"No!" Kim denied. "I-It's just... distracting!" she lied.

The villainess snickered. "That's pretty much admitting that you are aroused!" Shego twisted her head so that she could regard her charge with one bright emerald green orb. "What's wrong Kimmie?" she asked in a teasing voice. "Can't control yourself any longer?" Before she could let out another word, Shego suddenly felt two arms wrap around her bare midriff and pull her backwards. "Kimmie?" she gasped out in surprise as the teen hero nuzzled her neck from behind.

"I... missed you," Kim whispered then lightly nipped at the skin on Shego's neck. She was deeply embarrassed with the way she was acting now, but she really wanted to hold the older woman.

Shego blinked a couple of times before her body relaxed and a soft smile graced her lips. "Quite bold tonight, aren't you princess?" she teased, biting back a moan when Kim's lips latched onto the juncture of her neck and shoulder. "Your hands are straying, but I can pretty much guess where they're headed."

Kim's hands stiffened and pulled away at Shego's remark.

"Obviously you're still quite shy," Shego remarked, freeing herself from Kim's embrace and reaching for her shirt. "And I'm too sleepy and tired to do anything strenuous..." she glanced back at the redhead and winked. "If you know what I mean."

As Shego put back on her shirt, Kim struggled to figure out what she was feeling. Sure, she wanted Shego in that way, but she could not help but feel anxious about that matter. After all, she was technically still a virgin despite knowing how foreplay and sex goes about. She and Ron never went beyond kissing and petting though.

"You're just too cute, princess," Shego teased in amusement. "I like it when your face scrunches up like that whenever you're thinking deeply about something." The villainess shifted her body around so that she would be face to face with her charge. "I'm guessing you're thinking about me, right?" She leaned her elbows onto her knees and brought her face closer to Kim's blushing one.

"Y-You're really too conceited. That kind of attitude is going to boost your ego too much," Kim scolded, silently liking the close proximity between her and the ex-hero.

Shego chuckled and cupped Kim's cheek with her hand. "I know you want me to do_ that_ to you and believe me, I seriously want to."

"But?" Kim quipped, leaning into Shego's hand.

"As I said earlier, I'm too tired to give you the best mind-blowing and heart-stopping sex," the villainess replied with a straight face.

"Getting a little over-confident now, aren't we?" Kim drawled, the amusement never leaving her eyes. "What are the other reasons?"

Shego looked seriously at her young lover. "I don't want your first time to appear forced."

"You think I'm forcing myself to have sex with you?" Kim demanded angrily.

Shego raised a hand to stop Kim from complaining. "Forgive me for feeling that way, but being in a relationship doesn't mean that we should have sex as early as possible or ever so frequently." Her emerald green eyes slightly darkened. "I'm not that type of person who gets into a relationship just to get some of that." Those same green orbs softened as she lovingly gazed at the teen hero. "I know we've been together for a few months now but I don't want to rush anything. If it was just some other girl or boy, I probably wouldn't be this way," she told Kim. "It's just that you're... something else. You're important to me, princess."

Kim reached out and embraced the raven-haired woman. "Enough," she shushed Shego. "I understand now and knowing that you feel that way towards me and that matter just proves that you're really serious about me."

"I still sense a little bit of disappointment from you," Shego said, pulling away from Kim, but keeping their embrace intact.

Kim sighed. "I'm just wondering how much longer I have to wait," she admitted.

"Be patient. We could do everything from the traditional to the kinky when things go back to normal," Shego teased, face turning serious. "Although, I consider myself a generous person so you get a consolation prize," she added, placing her hand against Kim's shoulder and pushing her back onto the bed.

Kim could only muster out one gasp of surprise and a muffled squeak as Shego's soft and luscious lips claimed her own. It only took a few seconds before her protector's tongue invaded and explored the moist confines of her mouth.

"Hmmphh..." Shego disentangled their lips from each other and softly smiled down at the younger girl below her. With the pad of her thumb, she wiped a thin trail of saliva glistening from the corner of Kim's lips towards her chin. "You're really just too cute, Kimmie," she purred, reveling in the flushed and heated look on Kim's face. "I'm afraid your consolation prize is getting a time extension." The older woman dipped down and nuzzled the redhead's neck.

"Shego..." Kim moaned wantonly, placing her hand behind Shego's head and pulling her closer. "I-I thought... oh... you said that you didn't want to rush..." she let out a sharp gasp as teeth lightly grazed the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

"I'm not," Shego replied, paying Kim's protests no mind. "Don't worry princess. I promise that not a single article of clothing will come off." She smirked into Kim's neck as her hands skimmed up her lover's side.

"With the way you're going, it sure doesn't seem that way!"

The villainess chuckled. "You... just... have to... take... my word for it," she said in between kisses. "Five minutes," she continued before claiming Kim's lips again.

* * *

"Hmmm…" Kim cracked her eyes open as the incessant ringing of the doorbell echoed from downstairs. She glanced at the digital clock on top of the bedside table. "It's not even six in the morning yet," she muttered, holding a hand over her mouth as she let out a sleepy yawn. The doorbell continued to ring as Kim snuggled closer to the still sleeping Shego. "Go away…" Kim growled.

The raven-haired woman stirred. "You sure you want me to do that?" Shego asked without opening her eyes. "Need I remind you that this is _my _room?" Despite her scolding tone, she snaked an arm around Kim's waist and pulled her in closer.

Kim let out a content sigh. "I don't want to get out of bed, but whoever's ringing the doorbell just won't quit," she complained. "Should we go check who it is? It might be important."

The villainess let out a grunt and rolled away from the redhead. "It might be important, but I'm not going to get up to check who it is." She wrapped the blanket around her. "I'm staying in bed," she firmly decided.

"Definitely not a morning person," Kim muttered, getting out of bed and stretching her still sleepy body. "Alright already!" She left the bedroom and trudged down the stairs to handle their early morning visitors. "This had better be important," she said darkly upon reaching the door. "What?" she asked grumpily, green eyes widening as two smaller figures bounded past her and into the apartment.

"Cool! Who would think that Kim's arch-foe lived liked this?"

"It's boring compared to the place her former boss used to have. He had way more interesting gadgets!"

Kim whirled around and felt her patience disappear. "Tweebs!" she said in a warning voice. "What are you both doing here? For crying out loud, it's six in the morning and you just come barging in here without any good reason!"

The sound of a throat being cleared made Kim turn back once more to the doorway of the apartment. "This wouldn't be an unexpected visit if you saw our messages," Ann Possible told her only daughter. "I'm assuming you haven't checked your kimmunicator because if you did, you would have known that we were coming over."

"Well, Kimmie-cub, your mother is right," James quipped, stepping inside and gathering his still surprised daughter into his arms. "By the way, it's too early for you to be getting angry at your brothers. You actually should be happy since it's been a while since we last saw each other."

"Mom? Dad?" Kim rubbed the sleep from her eyes and closed the door when her whole family was inside. "What are you doing here?"

Ann looked around the furnished apartment space of her daughter's protector and nodded her head as a sign of approval. "We're supposed to pick you up and attend your father's family reunion," she told Kim. "Your dad's immediate family and their families will be there."

"You mean Nana and Uncle Slim will be there," Kim said, running her fingers through her auburn hair.

"Yes!" James let out enthusiastically. "Slim and Joss will be there along with your Aunt Kaila and her fiancé."

Kim raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Aunt Kaila? She's actually coming to a family gathering this time and she has a fiancé?" It was hard for her to stomach that her father's youngest sister was actually going to make an appearance. Kim could barely remember how her aunt looked like, but that was reasonable because she seldom visited when Kim was an infant and toddler. Her father would always tell Kim that his youngest sister was like dust cast onto the wind. She'd be in one place for a particular moment then disappear at the next. It was expected since her Aunt Kaila was an anthropologist. Compared to her rocket scientist father, her aunt's travels were almost at par with Kim.

"She's actually going to settle down for a few months since she and her fiancé are planning their wedding," James explained, sidestepping his twin sons who ran around the apartment like wild animals. "That's also one of the reasons why we're having this family reunion so that we could actually meet her fiancé."

"Where is this reunion going to be anyway?" Kim wondered aloud, glaring at her rambunctious brothers who continued run around. "I'm guessing it's at Nana's retirement home."

Ann shook her head. "Actually, your Aunt Kaila booked all of us at this new resort on Molokai, Hawaii. Our flight is in a few hours so you should get ready and pack enough for a three-day trip."

Kim opened her mouth to give her reply, but stiffened when the very dry voice of her protector called out to them from atop the stairs.

"If I'm not dreaming, then I'm supposedly seeing identical twins wreaking havoc in my apartment," Shego let out in annoyance, brushing her long raven-black hair away from her face. "Kimmie, what the hell are your brothers doing in my apartment?" she asked grumpily.

"Good morning Shego," Ann greeted the villainess cheerfully.

The villainess looked surprised upon realizing that her lover's parents were also in her home. "Morning Ann," she murmured, making her way down the stairs. "Kim didn't tell me that you were going to drop by for a visit." She eyed her charge with the corners of her eyes and tried not laugh at how uncomfortable Kim's father was around her.

"Sorry for the unexpected visit, but we're supposed to bring Kim to her father's family reunion in Hawaii," the neurosurgeon explained.

Shego blinked and looked like she was going to refuse, but ended up shrugging her shoulders. "How long will that be?" The green-hued villainess languidly crossed her arms over her chest.

"Just a three-day trip," James answered, making up his mind that he'd better try to warm up towards Shego or face the wrath of his only daughter.

"Well, you better get packing," Shego told Kim, making her way into the kitchen to brew some coffee.

"What?" Kim asked, looking confused. "Shego!" She excused herself from her parents and chased after her lover. "What do you mean that I better get packing? Don't tell me you're not coming along!"

Shego let out long breath as she brought down a canister of her favorite coffee blend from the cupboard. "It's your family reunion, princess," she reminded the redhead. "I have no reason to come along."

"But what about protecting me?" Kim angrily demanded.

"I'm sure the director can get you a contingent of guards," Shego replied in a straight voice. "Besides, reunions aren't my type of thing and if I do go, I'll have to face another round of explanations. Your Nana might end up breaking every single bone in my body when she finds out that you've become a dyke."

Kim narrowed her eyes at her protector and grabbed Shego's arm. "That's unfair! I went to your family reunion even if I didn't want to go to it!"

Shego shook Kim's hand off her arm. "It was just a dinner, Kim," Shego reminded her charge, taking the coffee pot and bringing it to the sink. "And it was just my immediate family. Your reunion is bringing in the other siblings of your dad."

"Who cares about that?" Kim demanded. "I want you to be with me!"

"They're arguing honey," Ann whispered to James as they both peered into the kitchen.

James nodded. "I can see that pretty well," he replied.

"I would have thought that Shego would make a fuss about Kim having to leave so unexpectedly," Ann mused quietly as she continued to watch her daughter and the villainess argue with each other. "You'd think that as her protector, she would forbid Kim from leaving or-"

"That she would come along for the trip," James finished, his eyes sparkling from a sudden idea. "I'm sure it's easy enough to get a plane ticket for Shego and extra lodging at the resort," he explained. "If we don't do anything now, we're going to end up missing the flight."

Ann sighed and walked into the kitchen. "Arguing is said to be healthy in a relationship, but you should try to avoid it especially when both parties are known to be stubborn individuals," she told the pair who looked at her quizzically. To Shego, Ann said, "I don't see why you don't want to come along with us for the trip. It wouldn't be a problem at all to have our daughter's protector come to the reunion." She glanced at her husband who stayed at the kitchen's doorway. "Isn't that right honey?"

James Possible nodded his head and smiled at his daughter and her lover. "I appreciate your being considerate to our family by opting to let Kim come with us, but I would prefer it if you came along to ensure her safety," he told the straight-faced villainess. "Besides, I'm sure you need a vacation. Kim told me that you love the beach and I can assure you that this new beach resort we're going to is one of the best in the world."

Shego frowned at the situation she was in. Sure, the mentioning of a trip to the beach sparked some interest in her, but there were other things that kept her from agreeing. The main reason why she didn't want to accompany Kim to her family reunion was because it would be terribly easy for people to catch Kim and her together in public. It may have been a new resort, but people such as tourists were bound to spot the world-famous Kim Possible and her infamous arch-foe together. They were prone to gossip and rumor coupled with the fact that she'd have to deal with Kim's grandmother, uncle, aunt and cousin.

"Well, what do you say Shego?" Ann asked, noticing how anxious her daughter looked.

"I don't know Ann," the raven-haired woman let out.

"I'm sure it'll be fine and if you're worried about people seeing you with us," she paused and glanced at Kim. "Or people seeing you with Kim, then I'm quite sure we'll be able to arrange something with the resort's higher management," she continued.

Shego looked hard and long at the doctors before her then locked eyes with Kim's hopeful ones. "It seems I can't pass up the offer to stay at a beach resort," she finally said, stumbling a little bit as Kim threw herself at her. "Let go of me Kim," she scolded the younger girl. "Both of us have to hurry if we're going to catch that flight, which reminds me…" Shego turned her attention to Kim's parents. "I have to call the airline and see if they could get me a ticket."

Ann shook her head. "There's no need. We actually have one for you already."

Shego blinked. "So you already expected that I was going to come along for the trip," she accused the pair of doctors.

"Actually, we originally offered the ticket to Ronald first," James put in sheepishly. "We thought that enough time has passed between Kim and Ron, so we got him a ticket. Unfortunately, he hasn't cooled off enough to get back into speaking terms with Kim."

"Dad…" Kim complained. "Why'd you have to do that? Of course he'd refuse! We haven't talked for a few months now!" She was just about to give her parents more of what she thought about the matter, but could not when Shego suddenly bent down and lifted Kim off the ground in a standard one-shoulder fireman's carry technique. "Huh?! Shego! Put me down!"

"You can argue with your parents along the way, but right now we need to pack!" Shego told her charge, carrying the struggling girl out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "When I come back down, I'd better not find anything broken or misplaced!" she shouted to the twins before entering her bedroom.

* * *

"Aren't you literally cooking in this heat?" Kim asked her protector as they rode an open roof shuttle to the beach resort. After getting off the plane, the Possible family and Shego took a bus to a nearby port and took a ship to Molokai island. "And aren't you being too overcautious? You didn't have to wear you full bodyguard gear."

"Leave me be!" Shego grunted, resisting the urge to strip out of her high-collared leather jacket. Instead of wearing her race suit, the villainess donned a Go City wifebeater shirt Kim had gotten her for recently, a pair of jeans, slippers and shades. "I'm fine!" She blotted the beads of sweat on her forehead with the sleeve of her jacket. "I'll take it off when we get to the resort."

Kim scowled at how ridiculous her protector was at that moment. "Suit yourself! You could bake in this heat if you want to! What's the use of wearing that skin tone-changing patch when you're practically covered up already?"

"My green skin is a sure give-away of my identity," Shego retorted.

"Kim, stop arguing with Shego already!" Ann scolded her daughter from across the aisle of the small shuttle bus. "Besides, we're near the resort already. As soon as we check in, you can bug Shego to change into something more comfortable." Like her daughter, she and the rest of her family were properly dressed for the tropical climate in thin shirts, shorts and slippers.

The redhead continued to scowl as she took the time to gaze at the passing scenery. The resort was built on one of the less populated area of the island since the owners wanted to maintain a pristine image to the public. Many resorts were crowded and commercialized and that was exactly what higher management wanted to avoid.

"I heard that the owners of the resort will be dropping by to check on its operations," Ann informed them. "Apparently this resort would have never materialized if they had not gotten a hefty investment from an unknown but wealthy businessman."

"It must have been a large investment for the resort to look like this," James commented, flicking at the brochure he was holding. "It says here, the resort owns nearly two miles of beach."

"Any go karts or arcades?" Jim asked.

The neurosurgeon shook her head. "Sorry boys. They don't have those kind of entertainment here. They do have a variety of water sports available." She shaded her eyes from the afternoon sun. "Ah here we are!" she announced, just as the shuttle cruised to a stop at the two storey house.

"We're staying here?" Tim asked in a whiny voice. "The beach is so far from here!"

Jim also voiced out his concern. "And I bet the rooms we're staying in will be cramped!"

While James shushed his sons, Kim hopped out of the vehicle and headed to the back to retrieve her luggage. "You might as well get rid of your jacket," she told her protector. "There doesn't seem to be quite a lot of people here." The teen hero shouldered her backpack while Shego slung her duffel bag over one shoulder.

"Maybe later," Shego muttered.

Kim rolled her eyes and pouted at the taller woman. "Just get rid of the jacket! No one will recognize you anyway since your skin tone has been altered plus the shades somewhat help!" Seeing the stubborn look on her protector's face, Kim decided to take matters into her own hands. She made her way to her brothers' bags and took out a plain dark blue baseball cap. Armed with the cap, she marched over to Shego and quickly unzipped the jacket.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shego hissed, trying to grab Kim's hands.

"Making things easier for you!" Managing to evade Shego's attacks, Kim managed to get the jacket off. "Keep your hair tied and wear this," she ordered, offering the baseball cap and hiding the jacket behind her back.

Shego scowled hard at her charge before grabbing the cap and putting it on her head. "I still don't see how this is going to help." Side by side, they followed Kim's parents into the lobby.

"Well if the staff don't react to you, then it means it worked," Kim put it simply, watching her parents arrange their lodgings. "Tweebs! Stop complaining already about how boring this trip is going to be for you!"

"Kim," Ann said in a warning voice. "Don't fight with your brothers!" To the receptionist, she asked, "Would you happen to know if Slim Possible, Kaila Possible and Nana Possible have checked in?"

"They haven't arrived yet," she replied after referring to her computer.

While Kim continued to quarrel with her brothers, a group of corporately attired men and women walked into the lobby. One woman detached herself from the group and casually made her way to an unsuspecting Shego. "I thought it was you," she told the disguised villainess, tipping down her aviator shades to regard the suddenly wary ex-hero.

Shego took a step back and gawked at the suited woman before her. "Mom?" she said incredulously.

Leila Go laughed. "Hello Shannon," the ebony brown-haired woman greeted her only daughter. "This is certainly a pleasant surprise." She took off the shades and put them inside her polo's pocket. "Although I must say, that I'd recognize you anywhere even with that disguise," she pointed out, looking Shego over from head to toe.

"Of course you'd recognize me," Shego muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "You are my mother after all." She let out a loud sigh, which caught Kim's attention. "What are you doing here anyway, mom?" she asked her mother.

"Didn't I tell you when you were in London?" Leila made a face when her daughter shook her head. "The security systems we develop in my company are being used here and I'm also a joint-partner of this resort."

Shego raised an elegant eyebrow at the slightly taller woman. "I didn't think that you'd be the type to venture into another kind of business," she pointed out.

Leila shrugged. "I had some extra money and I decided that venturing into a beach resort would be good investment. I've already calculated that I'll be getting good returns if all goes well." She turned to acknowledge Kim. "Hello Kim. We meet again." She grasped one of Kim's shoulders and pulled her in for a quick hug. "Going on another vacation with Shannon or should I say that this is more like a honeymoon?" She began to laugh heartily when Kim reacted instantly by turning crimson. "I see that you still get flustered easily."

"Oh Kim! We could head up to our rooms now!" Ann called, holding out the keys in her hand as she made her way to where her daughter stood. "Well now! It looks like you've made some new friends!" she remarked, going over to her daughter's side and regarding the other woman with a warm smile. "Huh?" The smile on her face turned into an open-mouthed "O".

Leila's reaction was quite the opposite… she grinned wildly at the auburn-haired neurosurgeon. "It's been a while 'little vixen,'" she said sultrily. To Kim and Shego's astonishment, her mother walked over to the neurosurgeon and bent down so that their faces were mere inches from each other. "I see that age has done quite the opposite of what it usually does," she remarked, smiling at how the young med student she met years ago had grown up beautifully.

"And I can still see that you haven't outgrown that wild flirtatious habit of yours!" Ann Possible retorted in a somewhat shaky voice. It was apparent that the doctor was flustered by the presence and advances of Leila Go.

Leila smiled as her green-flecked hazel eyes sparkled mischievously. "What can I say? It's hard not to flirt with someone who looks like you," she teased, moving her face closer as if she was going in for a kiss.

"Mom!" Shego yelled, pushing herself in between the two women and dragging her mother away from the deeply embarrassed neurosurgeon. "Whatever it was that happened before, could you please drop it?" She glanced at Kim who was trying her best calm her mother down and explaining the situation to her angry and confused father. "She's married now for crying out loud and she has kids!" Shego let out an exasperated breath while her mother merely smiled at her. "I didn't believe it when Ann said that you used to flirt with her back when she was still a med student," she told her mother. "Did you really have tendencies back then?"

"The tendencies never left," Leila replied in a serious voice. "I assure you though that all the flirting I did with Kim's mother was for mere entertainment and teasing purposes." She rubbed her chin in thought as she now watched both Kim and Ann Possible reason out with James. "She was rather cute, but I wasn't interested in her in that way," she explained. "And besides, I was already smitten with your father at that time," she added.

Shego sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, if that's the case then I think it would be best that you explain yourself to them before things get out of hand," she gestured at the arguing family before them. With that, she and her mother walked towards the Possible family.

Leila cleared her throat. "I must apologize for my earlier actions," she began then looked at the rocket scientist. "I'm not sure if you wife ever mentioned me to you, but she took care of me when I was hospitalized several years ago." She gave an apologetic smile to Ann who once again blushed. "I will admit that I frequently teased, but it was only because we were friends. There's no need for you to jump to conclusions and endanger your relationship."

James stared hard at the woman before her then relaxed. "I guess I got carried away," he admitted. "It's one thing to deal with having a daughter who just recently came out of the closet, but it's an even more difficult thing to have a potential former lover steal your wife away from you."

"Only remember that I wasn't a former lover," Leila pointed out with a laugh. "Just in case Ann didn't mention me to you," she said, sticking her hand out to the doctor. "I'm Leila Go," she introduced herself as she firmly shook hands with James. "Shannon over there," she jerked her head towards the disguised villainess. "Is my daughter."

Shego snorted. "I'm sure they already figured out that we're related," she told her. "Minus the green skin and hair color, our resemblance to each other can be described as uncanny."The villainess stretched her arms to the ceiling. "Anyway mom, I think you should let them bring their things up to their rooms."

Leila raised her eyebrows at the group. "Ah so you're actually staying here for a few days?" she asked, getting nods of confirmation. "Well now! Let me make up for this mishap then!" She walked over to the receptionist. "May I have the keys to my residence?"

"Certainly Miss Go," the young man complied and handed over the keys.

Making her way back to the group, she handed the keys to her daughter. "I didn't want to be just a joint-partner in this resort so I went ahead and purchased one of the beachfront houses. Feel free to use it for the remainder of your trip." To one of the staff she said, "I'm assuming that there will be other members of their party that will be arriving. Make sure that you bring them to my residence."

"Will you be staying with us?" Kim asked, elated with how generous Shego's mom was.

The CEO of the advanced security systems manufacturing corporation shook her head. "I've been here for a couple of days already and I'm due to fly back to London tonight," she explained. "If you need anything, just call housekeeping and they'll handle everything for you free of charge." She glanced at her watch. "Well, I better get going if I want to catch that flight." She crooked her finger at her daughter. "Come hug and kiss me goodbye, Shannon," she ordered.

"Awww… mom, you and dad are the same!" Shego complained but still complied with her mother's order. "You still treat me like a kid!"

Leila chuckled and thoroughly hugged and kissed her only daughter. "There's no use complaining about it," she reminded the villainess. She then briefly hugged Kim before gazing seriously at Ann. "One day, you and I should go out," she told her with a kind smile. "I'd still like to catch up with you." To James, she said, "Don't worry, there's nothing you have to worry about." She shook hands with him then waved goodbye to the group. "Enjoy your vacation!" With that, she walked out of the building.

"Well now!" Ann remarked. "Wasn't that an interesting experience?"

Kim rolled her eyes and went over to stand at Shego's side. "It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if your mom and my mom were put together for just a day," she whispered to her protector. "I've never seen my mom so flustered and now I definitely agree with her when she said that you were really your mother's daughter."

"Whatever," Shego muttered, spotting one of the resort vans outside. "I think that's our ride," she told everyone. "Let's get going! Knowing my mom, the beachfront house she purchased will be exactly to my liking!" With that said, she and the Possible family boarded the van.

* * *

_**I've lost count of how many weeks I've been away. Unfortunately, my schoolwork hasn't decreased and I've been spending most of my free time doing research, making papers and interning at this company with a bunch of my friends. Coupled with that, one of the reasons why I haven't been updating is because I'm experiencing quite a severe case of writer's block. I did try to continue writing, but I just couldn't get myself going. **_

_**Anyway, I apologize for the great delay! Originally, the reunion was only supposed to be done in one chapter but I decided to extend it. Hopefully, my writer's block is gone and I'll be able to put up another chapter in a week or so. **_

_**Next chapter: Azure Waves**_


	17. Azure Waves and a Weird Accident

_Chapter 17: "Azure Waves and a Weird Accident"_

Half awake and still feeling rather sleepy, the world-famous teen hero rolled over onto her side only to find that she was the only one occupying the bed. "Shego?" Kim murmured, looking up at the ceiling and watching the ceiling fan's blades gently rotate. "It's not even eight in the morning yet and she's actually already out of bed?" Kim knew from living with Shego for months now that the villainess was not an early riser.

"Kimberly? If you're awake then you should come down and have some of my homemade bread!" Nana's gentle voice sounded from the other side of the closed door.

"Yes Nana," Kim called back, throwing the blankets off and getting out of bed.

"When you're ready, be sure to fetch your friend too!"

Kim tilted her head to the side in mild confusion. "My friend?" she wondered aloud. "Oh you mean Shego!" Walking to the balcony, the redhead flung the doors open and walked outside. The early morning sun greeted her skin. Feeling rejuvenated and awake, Kim leaned over the railing and searched for the telltale raven black hair of her protector. A few sweeps of the beach and she spotted the villainess standing knee-deep in the clear blue waters. She took in a deep breath and readied herself to shout, but held herself back as she found herself suddenly engrossed with the sight.

The villainess' long raven-black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and often whipped around due to the rather strong ocean breeze. Her carelessly rolled up black cloth pants were slightly drenched due to the irregularly-sized swells that made it to the beach. Her normal pale green skin was concealed by the skin-tone changing patch she wore. Making up her mind, the teen hero hopped over the railing and landed lightly on the white sand. She quietly walked to the water's edge just a few feet away from the villainess and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you up so early? I missed you in bed," she said in a quiet voice.

Shego shrugged. "It's just one of those days that when I wake up, I just can't seem to go back to sleep," she replied, glancing over her shoulder to look at her charge. "Did you sleep well?" She went back to looking at the sea.

"You're acting strange today," Kim accused, carelessly rolling up her pants and wading in after her protector. "What happened to the early morning grumpy Shego I knew?" The redhead slipped behind her lover and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"I'm not in the mood, princess," Shego muttered, disentangling herself from Kim's embrace and stepping away from her.

Now Kim was surprised. There was something definitely bothering Shego for her to be behaving that way. "Did something happen?" she asked, looking worriedly at her lover.

Shego let out a sigh. "Something that _already_ happened, princess," she corrected, returning Kim's worried gaze with a wistful one. "I'm still rather bothered by my mother's behavior the other day," she confided in the younger girl. "Just a while ago, your father interrogated me." She frowned deeply and kicked at the surface of the blue waters. "He pried every single detail about my mother from me in a span of thirty minutes," she continued. "I guess he wasn't convinced with the explanation my mom gave him."

"Dad did that?" Kim asked, feeling a little bit annoyed. "Sorry. I'll talk to him about it," she apologized. She took a deep breath. "Is there anything else bothering you?"

Shego stiffly nodded and pressed one hand against her forehead. "I think your Nana is already suspecting something," she told the redhead. "This morning, she caught me leaving our room and she gave me this weird look." The villainess shook her head. "I overheard your parents explaining the bodyguard situation to her, Slim, and Kaila in the dining room after that. The talk got a bit complicated so I escaped to the beach."

"So… they all know?"

Shego shrugged. "Maybe... I'm not sure if they explained to them that you hooked up with your arch foe turned protector and lover. I didn't exactly want to stay and see how it went." She let a few more waves crash against her shins before heading back to dry ground. "Stop giving me that look!" Shego grunted, digging her toes into the sand. "I'll be fine! If your grandmother, uncle and aunt decide to interrogate me more, I'll be ready for it. Something like this won't break me, you know." The taller woman offered her hand to Kim and waited for the girl to hold onto it.

"I don't think they'll make such a big deal out of it," Kim theorized. "Maybe Nana and Joss will be shocked, but what are they going to do about it? Separate us?" She and Shego walked hand in hand back to Leila Go's villa. "Uncle Slim's an easygoing guy and as for Aunt Kaila, I'm quite sure that she's very open-minded about these kinds of things." As they neared the doors that opened out onto the beach, the smell of newly baked bread wafted into Kim's nostrils.

As the villainess and the teen hero stepped inside the house, five pairs of eyes settled on them. Shego could not help but grumble as she detached herself from Kim and headed to the steaming pot of coffee atop the kitchen countertop. "Something for you?" she let out in annoyed voice.

"Shego..." Kim admonished, going over to the dining table and pecking her mother on the cheek. "Be a little bit more understanding." The redhead slipped into the spare seat between her mother and Uncle Slim.

"Shouldn't they be the ones doing the understanding?" Shego retorted, sipping from her mug of coffee and leaning back against the counter.

"We all need to understand in any case," Ann remarked, motioning for Shego to take the spare seat on her other side. "After all, it wouldn't be fair that we accepted Kim's choice of being with Shego if her other relatives don't accept it either." She eyed her in-laws.

"Who says I haven't accepted this?" Kaila Possible asked, light green eyes dancing in the early morning light. As the youngest member of the Possible siblings, Kaila was six years younger than James but stood a few inches taller. Unlike her older brothers, she didn't have a single strand of gray in her chestnut brown hair and her body was lithe and elegant like that of a ballerina. "Seriously Ann, do you think something like this will faze me? Homosexuality has been around for thousands of years and it was even considered to be an ordinary phenomenon back in ancient Rome and Greece."

"Yes, yes I know Kaila," Ann replied. "I am glad that you took this in rather easily. Joss dear, you've been fidgeting in your seat for quite some time now," she told the young teenager. "Is there something wrong?"

"Probably me…" Shego murmured, ignoring the stinging look Kim threw at her.

Ann raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you uncomfortable with Kim's relationship with Shego?"

"Not really," Joss replied. "I've actually seen a lot of students in my high school who are the same." She glanced over at Kim and smiled at her. "It's just that it just seems surreal and you have to admit that they're an awkward combination."

Shego snorted, but smiled at the comment anyway. "The buffoon and teen hero tandem was an even more awkward combination if you ask me," she drawled, refilling her cup of coffee and taking the empty chair on Ann's other side.

Joss frowned. "Now that's mean. Ron had his flaws, but he was still a good guy," Joss tried to defend the former partner of Kim.

Shego snickered. "Sure he's a good guy if you put him on the good and evil spectrum," she told her. "But with the whole relationship game, I wouldn't consider him good. He did lose Kim, you know. To me of all people!" She would have wrapped her arm around Kim at that moment, but Ann sat between them. "I did hear some interesting news though."

"News about what?" Kim asked.

"I got some intelligence that the buffoon was spotted boarding a plane to Japan," Shego replied, half-wondering if she should actually be saying this to her lover. "I can't say I know for sure what he plans on doing there though," she added with a shrug, quickly noticing that Kim's face fell at her news. "Well, I should have expected you to react that way," she remarked, hiding her annoyance in her usual wry drawl.

Kim leaned forward and looked around her mother to glare at her lover. "Are you implying that I still have feelings for Ron?" she demanded, pushing her mother's hand off her shoulder.

"If you didn't, you wouldn't have given me that look," Shego retorted.

"Ladies," Nana warned, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "It isn't nice to start this beautiful morning with an argument," she advised them. To Kim, she said, "Now Kimberly, I cannot help but have my doubts about your relationship with your arch foe. I'm not at all sure if the two of you will last until after this whole situation with that cyborg is settled." Facing Shego, the formidable old woman looked at her seriously. "Can you honestly tell me that you'll stay with my granddaughter even after you'll be relieved from bodyguard duty?"

Shego scowled at the question, but returned Nana's look with one as serious as hers. "I love your granddaughter Nana Possible," she told her. "And as much as I want to tell you that I'd rather focus on the now and not the future, I will say that I love Kim strongly enough to even reconsider a few things in my life." She may have sounded serious, but she couldn't help but wonder if she knew what she was actually saying.

Nana raised her eyebrows at this. "Oh? Really now? Would you care to elaborate for me?"

"Nana…" Kim complained.

"Kimberly, I'm just trying to make sure that you're getting into something that's long term," Nana told her favorite granddaughter. "I don't want to see that day when your protector will go back to her criminal ways and you'll be left alone."

Shego shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. "If it means giving up my criminal life, I'd sacrifice that to be with Kim," Shego said, grimacing at how the likelihood of that happening was fast approaching. She wasn't sure if the shift from being criminal to being a crime fighter would be smooth especially since she hasn't defected to the other side for such a long time. "Although, I doubt Global Justice will let me off the hook for all the crimes I've committed. That's a speed bump I'll eventually have to go over."

"Hmmm…" Nana rubbed her chin in though. "I suppose I can say that you're quite serious about Kim then." She exchanged smiles with her grateful granddaughter before narrowing her eyes at the villainess. "Make sure you take care of her Shego or else you can look forward to exchanging punches and kicks with me."

An unnoticeable shiver ran down Shego's spine. Nana Possible may have been old, but she was still quite a formidable opponent if the situation made it necessary. Aside from herself, Nana Possible was the only other person who could knock Kim off her feet. "I'll take your advice to heart," she replied, bowing her head slightly to acknowledge the older woman. She then got out of her seat and stretched. "If the interrogations are done, I have half the mind to head to the beach and sunbathe."

Kim got out of her chair. "I'd like to come along," she said. "Anyone want to come?" she asked the rest of her family.

"Maybe later," Kaila replied, covering a yawn with her hand. "I'll wait for Derek to get out of bed first before anything else." She excused herself from the table and headed up the stairs to the room she shared with her fiancé.

Slim stroked his mustache and shook his head at the suggestion. "I promised James that we'd check out the rest of the resort this morning." He looked at his daughter. "How about you Joss?"

"I'm heading to the beach, but I'm going to try out the water sports offered," the younger girl replied. "And Auntie Ann asked me to take the boys to do some water sports instead of them sulking inside their room." She waved goodbye to her relatives and bounded up the stairs to fetch the boys.

"Well I guess that leaves just the two of us, princess," Shego told the redhead. "I'm going up ahead of you to get changed."

While Shego went up to their room, Kim remained behind to talk a little bit more with Nana and her mother. "Nana, are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked, worry evident in her voice. It was still difficult for her to believe the acceptance displayed by her grandmother.

"As I said earlier, I do have my doubts," Nana reiterated herself. "She is a criminal after all, not to mention she has a snarky mouth and quite disrespectful, but she has a good head on her." She gazed solemnly at the stairs. "She's direct and straightforward at least," she remarked. "Dedicated too to her work be it evil or good. I like that in a person especially one who's holds your heart," she continued, gently pressing her finger on Kim's chest to empathize her point.

Kim rubbed her chest for a moment before throwing her arms around the matriarch of the Possible family. After hugging the older woman, the teen hero bound up the stairs to change into her swim gear.

"Well Nana!" Ann began to gather the dishes on the dining table. "If I had known any better, you already had a soft spot for Shego," she remarked. "If it were any other girl, you would have forbidden Kim from getting into a relationship."

"Oh alright," Nana said. "But you have to agree with me that she's surer of herself compared to Ronald. Now that boy was always bumbling around." She carefully got out of her seat and helped her daughter-in-law clean the table.

As Nana and Ann brought the emptied dishes to the kitchen, Shego and Kim made their way down the stairs and out onto the beach. Since the resort was relatively new, there were hardly any people out. "Mom did tell me that they're expecting a boom in tourists next month," Shego explained to Kim when she asked. "They haven't started their advertising campaign yet so there aren't much people around." Shego pressed her hands against her lower back and leaned backward. "I prefer an empty beach though."

Kim raised one eyebrow at the taller woman. "Why is that?" She slipped out of her slippers and unrolled a beach towel onto the sand. The teen hero was dressed in a blue bikini with a blue sarong wrapped around her waist.

"I don't like the noise and besides," Shego started, a wicked glint flickering in her emerald green eyes. "I want to get an _even _tan." Dropping her towel onto the sand and slipping on her shades. Like Kim, she too wore a bikini but of course, it was in a shade of green. Instead of a sarong, the raven-haired woman unusually chose to wear knee-length board shorts that were a combination of green and black.

"W-What?" Kim stuttered, losing her grip on the bottle of sunscreen she held in her hand.

"Do I always have to explain myself to you?" Shego asked with sarcasm in her voice. "Let me spell it out for you then. N-U-D-E! Got that?" She bent down to fix her towel and mask the amused smile that appeared on her face. As usual, Kim turned several shades of red at her comment. "Well, don't let me spoil your day." She stripped out of her board shorts and placed it on the side of her towel. "I'm planning to lay back and nap." She waved her hand lazily at Kim as she lay down, cushioning the back of her head with her linked hands.

"You don't even want to swim?" Kim demanded, smoothing suntan over her exposed skin.

The raven-haired woman let out a yawn. "If I swim, my skin-tone changing patch might short circuit," she replied. "I'm not sure if one-eye had this built to be waterproof so I'd rather not risk it."

"She's just a call away you know," Kim pointed out, frowning when Shego didn't move an inch. "Suit yourself then. I'm off to swim!" The teen hero jogged down the remaining distance to the water and dove into the cool blue sea. For the next hour, Kim was content with leisurely swimming near the shore, taking care to watch out for the powerful undertow her mother had warned her about the other day.

It was about eleven in the morning when Shego finally sat up, covering a yawn with her hand. Her charge most probably didn't notice her when she sent a text message to the Director of Global Justice inquiring about the skin-tone changing patch's resistance to water. From the short reply, Shego confirmed that the nifty piece of technology she wore was actually waterproof. With the sun rising higher and higher in the sky and making the weather hotter, Shego was actually looking forward to joining Kim in the water.

"Are you actually going to swim?" Kim called out to her lover from her position. She brought her hands out of the water and noticed that her fingers were starting to get wrinkly in appearance. "If you are, hurry it up! The water's great!" She leaned back and allowed herself to float on the water's surface as the gentle swells moved her body about. "So? I was right all along!" she told Shego triumphantly as the villainess swam towards her.

"Don't belabor the point," Shego retorted, diving down into the water for a few seconds before resurfacing at Kim's side. "But yeah, the water is great!" She playfully let her hand glide over the taut stomach of her charge, grinning in delight when Kim gasped.

"Shego!" Kim scolded as she put herself in an upright position in the water. "Don't do that! People might see!" She took a few steps away when her protector made a move towards her.

Mischief and a little bit of desire played in Shego's emerald green orbs. "Who says they're going to see?" she asked, suddenly lunging forward and grabbing Kim around the waist. She gave Kim enough time to take in a deep breath of air before she pulled the younger girl underwater. The villainess watched as Kim released a large bubble of air from her mouth and grinned back as the redhead struggled to get out of her hold. Shego of course had other plans. Pulling the teen hero closer, she eased her lips over Kim's own and felt the younger girl relax in her hold. She pulled back for a few seconds and watched as her charge released another breath into the water before resettling her lips on hers once more. After what seemed like an eternity of being underwater, both she and Kim shot up to the surface gasping for air.

As Kim sucked in generous amounts of air to relieve her deprived lungs, she could only manage a half-hearted glare at the older woman before her. "If you had kept me under any longer, I probably would have drowned!" she told her lover angrily.

"You wouldn't have drowned," Shego replied patiently. "We probably could have extended our underwater activity for another minute or two." The villainess pulled her wet hair out of her face and smiled knowingly at her redheaded charge.

"You're joking," Kim scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the woman before her. "I can't hold my breath for that long," she told her lover. "And I doubt you could do the same." The sly grin that appeared on Shego's face told her otherwise. "Are you telling me that you can hold your breath for more than-"

"Usually I could hold my breath underwater for around two and a half minutes, but with some preparation I could extend to around four minutes," Shego cut in, going towards Kim once more. "About your claim that I was joking about kissing you underwater for a longer period," she said, emerald orbs glinting in the sunlight. "I could counter that you know." She snaked her arms around Kim's waist and pulled her against her body, enjoying the feel of their flesh meeting.

Kim blushed heavily upon realizing what was on Shego's mind. "T-That really isn't necessary Shego," Kim stammered, unconsciously tilting her head back to give Shego, who was lightly kissing her neck, better access.

"It's not for you to decide though, princess." With one last nip on the hero's neck, the villainess pushed Kim back underwater and initiated another long and equally passionate kiss. True to Shego's word, both of them stayed underwater for nearly three minutes with Shego providing Kim the needed air from her oxygen-saturated lungs. Feeling weak and rather giddy from the kiss, Kim managed to slip out of Shego's hold and resurface. "Do you believe me now?" Shego asked, feeling rather smug as she shook her wet hair off her face.

Kim lightly pressed a finger against her lips and eyed Shego in awe and annoyance. "Sometimes I wonder why I ever fell for such an arrogant woman," she muttered, diving underwater and swimming back towards the shore.

"If you hadn't, you'd still be stuck in a dead end relationship with that buffoon!" Shego retorted, letting Kim head back to shore while she picked a rock protruding out of the sea and swam towards it. She hadn't been working out recently especially with the lack of missions on Kim's end. Swimming a few laps would solve the problem. After swimming several laps, the raven-haired woman decided to get out of the water and have lunch.

"Are you done?" Kim called out to Shego as she toweled herself dry. "Mom just came down to the beach to call us over to have lunch back at the villa." She watched as Shego walked out of the blue waters and wringing the water out of her hair. The sight of her protector's drenched skin gleaming under the sunlight sent a fuzzy feeling to her stomach.

Shego jogged the rest of the way towards Kim and their things. "Let me just dry off fast then we could head back to the villa to have lunch with your folks." Grabbing her towel, Shego quickly dried herself as best as she could then slung the towel over one shoulder. "Now that I think about it, I'm actually starving!" she remarked, pulling on her board shorts and tying her hair back into a loose ponytail.

Kim chuckled as she waited for her protector to gather her things. "Mom mentioned that Aunt Kaila and Derek will be handling lunch today," she informed her, taking the lead as they trekked back towards the villa. "I don't recall hearing mom or dad mentioning if Aunt Kaila or Derek are good cooks, but hopefully it'll turn out well."

Shego shrugged her shoulders and slipped on her shades. "As long as it's something I could eat, then I wouldn't really mind what they place in front of me." She linked her fingers together and stretched her arms towards the sky.

Kim watched the raven-haired woman from the corners of her eyes. She could not help but stare at her lover from head to toe, noting the clean and defined curves of muscle that lined her shoulders, arms, torso and legs. Shego was very fit for a woman. In comparison with herself, her protector was probably twice as built. She was doing another once-over of Shego's physique when she was suddenly caught in the gaze of those emerald green orbs.

"You're staring again," Shego remarked, tipping her shades further down her nose to eye her charge. She was as usual amused with the antics of the teen hero whenever they were together. "Am I really that appealing to look at?" she teased, noticing a pair of men staring at them from further down the beach.

Kim flushed, but nevertheless stepped closer to Shego and linked their fingers together. "As long as I'm the only one looking at you," she murmured, also noticing the two men staring at them. She tightened her hold around Shego's fingers as they spotted three tables set on the sand right outside of the villa. "Lunch on the beach?" she asked her mother who was helping her Aunt Kaila bring out the food.

"It would be a waste if we didn't take advantage of our trip to the beach," Ann replied, setting the dish of fried chicken on the table. "Besides, it's too nice a day to eat lunch indoors." She smiled and voiced out her thanks to Joss and Slim who carried the pitcher of juice and salad respectively. "Did you enjoy your morning at the beach?"

Kim nodded her head as she and Shego settled themselves on one end of the table. "I swam a lot while Shego took a nap before joining me in the water," she recounted that morning's experience to her mother and the rest of her relatives who were interested, leaving out the parts when Shego pulled her underwater to kiss her thoroughly.

"So what are the two of you planning to do after lunch?" Kaila asked as she first served herself some of the fried chicken before passing the dish down the table.

Kim shrugged her shoulders. "I want to spend more time on the beach, but I suppose I'll have to rest a bit to let the food digest," she said, glancing at Shego who nodded her thanks to her Aunt Kaila's fiancé when he refilled her wine glass. "I think I'll have a go at the water recreation offered here." She turned to Joss and her twin brothers. "How was the water recreation center anyway?"

Joss opened her mouth to reply then closed it, remembering that she was still chewing her food. After swallowing the food and gulping down her glass of water, she said, "It's actually pretty good and they offer quite a lot of activities." She grinned when her cousins nodded their heads vigorously. "Name it and they have it! Jet skis, wakeboarding, parasailing, speedboats, scuba and snorkel gear, surfboards-"

Kim raised her hand to stop her cousin. "All right I get it already!" she chuckled. "I guess I'm off to do those stuff after lunch." She lightly elbowed Shego's ribs. "Are you coming along with me later?"

Shego downed her glass of wine and tilted her head slightly to the side as if in thought. "Most likely," she told Kim. "I'd like to have a go at surfing if ever. I've done it before, but it's been a while since then." She shook her head when Derek offered to refill her glass again. "Anyway I think I'm going to bask in the sun again before we do anything strenuous."

"Which reminds me," Kim started. "Won't your skin-tone changing patch interfere with your tanning attempts?" She lightly leaned her elbows on the edge of the table. "I mean, you've been under the sun for quite some time and it looks like you haven't gotten any darker."

Shego raised her eyebrows and groaned. Now that Kim mentioned it, she wasn't at all sure if the sun did have an effect on her skin despite the gadget she wore. "I'd be utterly disheartened if I find out that all the effort of basking in the sun has gone to waste," she drawled, tapping the nearly invisible gadget on her collarbone. Almost immediately, the creamy white skin switched back to the normal shade of green albeit in a slightly darker shade.

"Well it looks like the sun has done some good on you," Kim commented after Shego switched the gadget back on. "And did you just try to imitate how Enzo talks a while back?" she asked, amusement glinting in her eyes.

Shego laughed as the Possible family all turned to look at her. "I suppose I did sound like Enzo a while back," she mused, running her fingers through her hair. "I did spend three years of college with him and you know that he always seems to talk in an ever so formal manner."

"This is Lorenzo Sinclair that you're talking about right?" Derek cut in, propping his chin on his linked hands. Derek Holst was a tall and slender man with short sand-blonde hair, expressive blue-green eyes and an air of elegance to him. He was three years younger than Kaila Possible, but despite the age gap he was still very much in love with the anthropologist. "I heard on the news that he recently announced his engagement to Kaileena."

Shego nodded. "He did. Why do you ask?"

"Back when I was doing a teaching stint in London University, Kaileena was one of my students in my art class," Derek replied. "Quite a talented young lady if I must say and I would have enjoyed teaching her further except that Kim's aunt came along and I ended up following her to Africa and everywhere else she went," he said sheepishly as he drew laughs from his fiancé's family.

"So did you ever meet Enzo?" Kim asked.

"Just once, but it was just for a moment because I just happened to bump into him and Kaileena when I chanced upon being in London several months ago," Derek replied. "Now that I think about it, your imitation of his way of speaking was quite accurate. Does he really talk like that?"

Shego laughed. "He was raised that way and he was even more formal before he and I became best friends!" She attempted to mimic the sober face Enzo always seemed to have on his face. "My music is comparable to the blood in my veins that keeps me living… no matter how depressing you say it is." She managed to hold the serious face and the serious tone of voice for a few seconds before bursting into raucous laughter. "Damn it! I miss that wallflower!"

Derek laughed as hard as Shego while the others resorted to giggles and chuckles. "I must commend you though," he told Shego. Unlike Kim's other relatives, it was her Aunt Kaila and Derek who easily got along with Shego. They never once mentioned or cared about Shego's shady background. "You really hit the bulls-eye with your impersonation of him." Among the group, Enzo and Kim and Shego's experience with the wealthy heir was a safe topic to talk about. As much as Joss, Slim and the others wanted to bring up the relationship of Kim with Shego, they kept their mouths shut to avoid risking the fury of the teen hero and her protector.

After nearly an hour of talking at the table, Kim got to her feet and pulled Shego away from the table. "We're off to do some water sports," she announced to her family.

"You mean _you're _the one who's going to do water sports," Shego corrected, covering a yawn with her hand. "I still mean to take another nap before I do any physically-demanding activities," she told her young lover. "Not to mention, I need some more time under the sun to get a better tan." She grabbed her shades from the table and slipped them back on. "Shall we then?"

Kim grinned and waved goodbye to her family then led Shego back down towards the beach. "Small world huh?" she remarked, digging her toes into the sand as they made their way down to the large pier. "I never would have thought that Derek used to be the art professor of Kaileena."

Shego nodded. "Circles within circles," she let out, scanning the beach for a potential spot to take a nap at. "Why don't you go ahead? I'm going to catch a few more winks since I woke up quite early today." She pointed at the row of lounge chairs and umbrellas set up several meters away from the water recreation shack. "If I don't wake up in an hour, come and fetch me over there." She was just about to head over to the lounge area when she suddenly felt the urge to kiss the redhead. Leaning down, she swiftly pecked Kim on the lips, gave her a mischievous smile then ambled away from her.

Kim blushed while quickly looking around to see if anyone witnessed the display of affection. Fortunately, no one in the vicinity seemed to have noticed the kiss. Squaring her shoulders, Kim jogged over to the shack manned by a young woman and a man. She had enough time to lean her body against the counter before the woman finally noticed her.

"Hello! What can I do for you today?" She put aside a box of flippers and nudged a tank of oxygen away from her. "Hey Brian! You're going to be taking that group of tourists out to the reef later ok?"

A head topped with tussled reddish-brown hair more brown than red popped out from behind the counter. "Which group was that again? The Australian group or the Japanese group?"

The woman frowned. "I know you're a new recruit, but must you be so forgetful?" Grabbing a nearby record book, she flipped through the pages and ran her finger down one particular page. "It's the Australian group," she confirmed, putting the record book aside. "Make sure you prepare all the gear before you head out to the reef." Turning to look again at Kim, she said, "Sorry about that. My apprentice over here is still relatively new to the job." Her eyes widened in realization. "Well then Kim Possible, is there anything you fancy?"

Kim smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "What would you recommend for me to do?"

"Well, I'd suggest wakeboarding especially since the sea isn't so rough today and Brian over here can tow you with the speedboat," she gestured at the young man at her side and then at the moored bright blue speedboat at the nearby pier. "If not, you could also take one of the jet skis out."

Kim rubbed her chin in thought. "I think I'll go wakeboarding," she decided. "Where can I get the gear and pay for the rent?"

The woman shook her head. "The gear you can get from here and as for the payment, it's not necessary." She motioned for Kim to follow her to the back of the shack. "We were specifically told your stay here is free of any expense care of Miss Leila Go." Seating Kim at a bench, she took one look at the redhead's feet then began to go through a rack of wakeboarding boots. "I'm guessing you're either a size 7 or a 7 1/2."

"I'm a 7 ½," Kim told the older woman.

"Would you prefer open or a closed-toe pair?"

Kim thought about it. "Closed I suppose. One big wipeout might break my toes," she explained. She expressed her gratitude first before pulling on the boots and securing it. The female employee then showed her a variety of wakeboards, where Kim settled for a stylish red and white one. She then took the life vest offered to her. "Am I all set?" she asked.

"Yeah," the woman replied. "I'm assuming you've done this several times, but probably with incomplete safety gear." She yelled for her assistant to come out of the shack. "Go on ahead to the pier and get the boat and tow system ready," she ordered, watching the young man jog down the beach and onto the wooden pier. "Brian will explain the hand signals to you on the way out to sea. Just come back here if you want to do something else!"

Kim smiled and waved goodbye to the kind woman then headed down to the pier. She paused at the edge of the structure and waited for the young man to get ready. "Need any help?" she asked, seeing that he was scrambling off and on the boat.

"I'm alright!" Brian checked the towing mechanism then swiped at his sweaty forehead. "Hop in! We're ready to go!" The ocean was calm as Brian drove the boat out to sea. As he steered, he proceeded to lecture Kim with the rudimentary hand signs they would use to communicate with each other while she wakeboards. After a few more minutes of cruising, the speedboat slowed to a stop. "Alright," Brian chirped. "Time to go overboard! Put on your life vest, get on your wakeboard and get out into the water."

As soon as the vest was on, Kim dove into the water and resurfaced. "Hand me the cable?" she asked, positioning the wakeboard horizontally and at an angle beneath her. She then fixed her grip on the handle and braced herself. "Ready!" With a sudden jolt, Kim then found herself gliding across the surface of the blue ocean. With the sun high above in the sky, the redhead proceeded to do intricate maneuvers on her wakeboard, drawing the attention of other beachgoers.

Thirty minutes later, the teen hero raised her fist into the air, signaling Brian to pull her back in. As the towing mechanism pulled her back towards the boat, Kim squinted at the shore to check if her lover was still asleep. The raven-haired villainess was in fact seated on a lounge chair Indian style and seemingly watching Kim move across the surface of the ocean.

"Ready to head back?" Brian asked.

Kim nodded her head and sat back on one of the boat's seats. With the wind coursing through her slightly sodden hair, the teen hero swept the beach with her eyes often settling on the far-off figure of her protector. She knew she was being silly, but she just wanted to make sure that Shego was still there. In addition, she was sort of making sure that no one was hitting on her lover. Knowing Shego for so long, she knew that the villainess would definitely not pass up the chance to flirt especially if it was a good looking guy… or girl in recent cases.

"If you want to try any of the other activities," Brian said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Just head back to the shack so that you could get the necessary equipment," he continued. The young man steered the boat towards the pier before finally shutting off the engines. The speedboat lightly thudded against the wooden platform as the employee jumped out and secured the boat.

Kim followed suit and hopped out. "Thanks for the ride," she told the man gratefully. "I would have stayed out longer on the water, but there are some things that I have to do." She glanced at the partitioned section of the beach, which was used as an outdoor lounge. "Maybe later though or even tomorrow," she said, taking off her life vest and setting it on the floor with the wakeboard and the boots. "Do I bring these back?"

Brian shook his head. "I'll take them back," he replied. "You did mention that you had something to do." Making sure that the boat was indeed secured to the pier, he bent down and gathered the discarded equipment in his arms. "Well, I better get going. I have those guests from down under to handle next." He nodded goodbye to the teen hero and trudged towards the shack.

Quickly tying her hair in a loose ponytail, Kim jogged down the length of the pier and hurried across the beach to where her protector was lounging. For some reason, there was a sense of dread lurking at the back of her head, but she wasn't sure what to make of it. "What the…" Kim muttered as she jogged towards the lounge chairs. Shego hadn't moved from her spot, but what bothered Kim were the two men standing before her lover.

"Ah finally!" Shego remarked, getting up to her feet and walking past the men. "Sorry boys, but I got things to do." She didn't bother to make eye contact with them since her gaze was firmly set on the younger woman before her.

"She-," Kim stopped herself in time. She almost forgot that Shego was in disguise. "Sorry to keep you waiting Shannon," she corrected herself, blushing when Shego wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Do you still want to go surfing?"

Before Shego could open her mouth to reply, the two men flanked their sides. "Hey! Hey! What's the rush?" one of them asked. He was a buff man in his early twenties who had short brown hair and sloe-black eyes. His companion on the other hand was a blonde man who was not as buff as he was, but was still rather fit. "Now that your friend is here, we could all go on a double date!"

"Sounds good huh?" The blonde man added, inching towards Kim who happened to be the girl of his choice.

Kim was visibly starting to fume and was about to give the flirts a piece of her mind when Shego stepped in and decided to handle things on her own.

"Sorry boys," she told them once again. "We're not interested. Besides, Kim and I have our itinerary set for day and there's no time to spare for the both of you." She led Kim further down the beach, but hid her dismay when both men pursued them.

"Oh come on!" The buff brown-haired man slipped in front of them and stopped them in their path. "We'll have lots of fun!" He glanced at his friend and winked. "Right?"

"Surely!" The blonde man replied. "And I can already tell that we're going to have a good time?"

Shego's shades slipped down the bridge of her nose, exposing her bored emerald green eyes. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

"Easy!" He said, standing beside his friend. "You're Kim and Shannon right?" He gestured at both women before him. "Well, I'm Kyle and he's Shane!" He grinned broadly as if he just said something so brilliant.

Shego and Kim stared at first Kyle then at Shane who wasn't at all impressed with his dumb friend's attempt to help them score. "I'm just guessing, but are you saying that just because our names our somewhat similar to each other, it means that we're a good match?" Shego asked in indignation while Kim tried her best not to laugh.

"Well yeah!" Kyle said, not at all aware that he was already being ridiculed.

"You dumbass!" Shane smacked his the back of his friend's head with his hand. "Where they hell do you get those pick-up lines?" he demanded, not noticing that Shego and Kim were already walking off.

"But dude! Chicks dig these lines!" Kyle argued, shielding himself from any other blows.

"To old women I guess," Shane retorted, looking around and spotting the two women walking away from them. "Damn! Come on! This time, let me do the talking!" They both sprinted after their targets and managed to stop them in their tracks. "Look ladies, don't mind my friend here," Shane began. "I'll make this simple. Play a friendly game of touch football with the both of us."

Shego rolled her eyes. "So if you guys win, we're supposed to go on a date with the both of you?" she guessed, lightly elbowing Kim.

"Well, that's part of the deal," Shane said. "But yeah, if we win the both of you have to go on a date with us afterwards and come with us to a party."

Somehow, Kim knew that this wasn't such a good idea. If the men were alright with just a date then she wouldn't be so worried, but having to go with them to a party at night wasn't something she was looking forward to. She only hoped that Shego would refuse or do something else to run them off.

"Since you chose your terms if you win, I get to make my own terms if we win right?" Shego tipped her shades up the bridge of her nose and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't really in the mood to surf now, but she was willing to mess around with these two men.

"Of course!" Kyle said. He and his friend looked smug as if they had the game and the dates in the bag.

"She- I mean Shannon!" Kim interjected. "I don't think this is such a good idea!" she hissed, pulling the older woman a couple of feet away so that they could talk privately. "I know how to play football, but not touch football! These guys look like they know what they're doing!"

Shego once again wrapped her arm around Kim's shoulders and pulled her closer so that she could whisper in her ear. "What's this? Kim Possible is worrying about losing a game to a bunch of dorks?" The villainess chuckled. "Don't worry princess. I'll be quarterback and all you have to do is run around and catch the ball when I throw it to you."

Kim gaped at her protector for a few seconds. "You seriously want to do this, don't you?"

"Let me have some of _my _fun, Kimmie," Shego told her, as she limbered up for the game. "I've got something in mind when we win."

Kim sighed and also began to stretch. "Oh alright Shego," she relented. After stretching, the two women headed towards the two men who now possessed a football.

"So?" Shane asked.

"We'll play," Kim said, rolling her eyes when both men hooted and slapped each others' backs in celebration.

Shego raised her hand for quiet. "But of course, you have to submit to our terms when we win."

"You seem so sure that you're going to win," Shane pointed out with a smirk.

"Perhaps," Shego replied, ignoring the jock's smirk and forcing herself to behave. "If you win, we go on a date with the both of you and go to that party," she said, tightening her ponytail. "But if we win, you have to go home naked."

"W-What?!" Kyle sputtered. "That is not cool! I'm not going to walk back to our hotel room in the nude!" He seemed all the more reluctant to play against both women despite the fact that he and Shane were both on the football team of their college.

"Chill man! We got this in the bag!" Shane assured his friend. "We're not going to be stripping out of clothes any time soon," he said confidently, offering his hand to Shego. "You have a deal!" He and the disguised villainess shook hands. "Now since there's only four of us playing, let's cut the length of the playing field to 50 yards. Since it's touch football, there'll be no tackling. The equivalent of a tackle will be placing both hands on the carrier's body."

"Anything else?" Shego asked.

"First team to make three touchdowns wins," Shane added, looking around for things to mark their respective end zones. Spotting bright orange cones that were left on the beach by kids who were recently playing football, Shane gathered four cones, roughly estimated the length of 50 yards and set the markers at the end zones. "It's a touchdown if you carry the ball through those cones. Need time to strategize?"

Shego nodded and led Kim away from the playing field. "Wipe that worried look off your face princess," she told her charge. "Just leave everything to me."

"So what's our strategy then?" Kim wondered glancing at their opponents who seemed to be taking it easy.

"I throw and you catch," Shego put it simply.

"That's it?" Kim asked indignantly.

Shego laughed. "It's very simple and I have no doubt that you'll be able to catch anything that I throw at you. Use your cheerleader and hero skills, Kimmie," Shego suggested. "On second thought, I'm guessing that Shane will be marking me while Kyle will mark you if we're on offense. Now if they're on offense, Kyle's probably going to be the quarterback and Shane will switch." She watched as Kyle practiced long passes to his friend. "I'm guessing that they're planning to end the game quickly by passing long."

Kim nodded. "So what do we do then?"

"If they're on offense, you stick with Kyle and try to _tackle_ him before he throws a pass," Shego replied. "But if he does manage to throw a pass, leave the rest to me. A muscle-head like this one won't get past me easily. I'll tell you my planned plays before we start our attack anyway." She ruffled Kim's hair playfully. "Ready?"

"I guess so." Kim followed Shego back onto the playing field and watched as Shane produced a coin and flipped it into the air. "I call heads," Kim said when Shego tapped her. Unfortunately, the coin landed with the tails side facing up.

"Ok ladies, we're going to be offense first," Shane announced. They moved to their end zone and quickly exchanged a few words. Positioning themselves with Kyle directly behind Shane, the two men prepared for their first attack.

On the other end of the field, Shego bent down slightly and kept her eyes glued on Shane. She was quite sure that the buff man was going to come charging down the beach and hope to snag a long pass from his quarterback when he was already at the end zone. "Mark Kyle, princess," she told Kim one more time. "And if you can, try to intercept his pass. If that happens, run like crazy to their end zone."

"Hike!" Kyle shouted as Shane snapped the football between his legs then ran down the field like a charging bull. Kyle cursed quietly when his partner ignored Kim who was making a beeline towards him, but he nonetheless threw the ball to the left side of the playing field where they agreed that Shane would receive the ball. The ball travelled in a tight spiral with a hint of wobble through the air and was easily caught by his receiver.

"Touchdown number one baby!" Shane yelled as he protected the ball with his hands and ran towards the end zone. What he didn't expect was the raven-haired woman suddenly stepping in front of him and placing both her hands on his chest and effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"First down," Shego said sweetly. She walked away and motioned for Kim to come closer so that they could strategize once more.

"She's fast man," Kyle remarked as he and Shane talked in their huddle. "And don't leave me unguarded! I could have gotten tagged by the redhead!"

Shane shook his head. "Don't worry man! We're just ten yards away from a touchdown. Let's do the same play again." They broke out of their huddle and readied themselves for the snap.

"Hike!"

This time Kyle took several steps back to give himself more time to pass and to avoid the rushing Kim. He managed to throw the pass before Kim got to him, but just as Shane grabbed the ball from the air, Shego was already there to deliver a two-hand touch when Shane landed. "The play is not working man!" he hissed. "I almost got sacked by the redhead back then. Change plays. We'll pretend that we're doing the same thing, but this time I'll try to rush to the end zone."

"So I'll try to keep both the ladies occupied?" Shane asked.

"It's a hunch, but I think they're going to double team you especially since we're this close to scoring a touchdown. I'll fake a pass then while you distract them, I'll get a touchdown."

Shane nodded. "Sounds good." They parted and readied themselves for their next play.

"Hike" Kyle shouted, taking the snap and waiting for Shane to distract their opponents. As he expected, both Kim and Shego ran towards Shane as he faked a pass. Tucking the ball at his side, he sprinted the remaining distance to the end zone and just barely avoided getting tackled by Kim. "Yeah man! First touchdown goes to us!" He flipped the football to Shego while he and Shane celebrated at midfield.

"This is not good," Kim muttered as she and Shego began to strategize once more. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"We'll do a passing game. The both of us are quicker than the dudes so I'm quite sure you'll be able to out-dupe the Blondie. I'll throw to the right, but I want you to fake left first to shake off the defense." Shego patted Kim on her shoulder as she flipped the ball to her. "Got that? Now, snap the ball to me when I say hike." Shego looked down the field for a few seconds before yelling, "Hike!"

As soon as Kim let go of the ball, she ran to the left and met Kyle midway. As soon as Kyle set his feet in front of her, she suddenly changed direction and ran to the right, leaving the man scrambling after her. She gave one look at Shego and watched as a bullet was fired towards her. She was so sure that she was going to catch it, but she forgot about Kyle. The man caught up to her and managed to jump in the air and slap the ball away from her.

"Grab the ball Kim!" Shego yelled.

Without hesitating, Kim dove into the sand and grabbed the ball before Kyle could get to it. Jumping to her feet and dusting the sand off her body, she threw the ball back to her lover as Shego made her way to her. "Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright. I threw it a bit late," Shego replied. "This time, I want you to run further ahead and catch the ball while you're still running. This way, you'll be able to avoid Kyle." She position Kim once more and shouted, "Hike!"

_Just run Kimmie!_ Shego thought as she took a step back and threw the football into the air. She watched Kim run and look over her shoulder at the same time. _Shit! She's running too fast!_ Shego realized as Kyle dropped back a little and caught the pass. Keeping an eye on both Shane and Kyle, Shego started to guess whether Kyle was going to rush the ball or is he was going to hand it off to Shane. Fortunately, Kim was getting closer to tagging Kyle who spun away and handed off the ball to his teammate. _You're mine!_ Shego thought as she prepared to tag the larger man. Before she could place both her hands on him, Shane passed the ball back to a streaking Kyle who crossed the end zone effortlessly.

"One more touchdown to go!" Kyle hooted as he gave the ball to the ladies.

Shego was getting annoyed. She wasn't annoyed at Kim, but she was definitely annoyed at the prospect of losing. "Let's play," she told Kim who was expecting another strategizing session. As soon as Shego yelled Hike, she faked a pass to Kim then tucked the ball close to her body and sprinted down the field. While Kyle stuck to Kim, Shane came charging towards her. She let the man get close enough to tag her before she deftly spun away and carried the ball across the end zone. "That's one for us," Shego announced as Kim shook her head and got into position for defense.

Kyle and Shane easily shook off the recent touchdown. After issuing the command, Shane watched as the women scrambled across the field in an attempt to tag him. He launched his pass to his friend who was way down the opposite side of the field, but he could only gawk as the raven-haired woman leaped almost instantaneously and grabbed his pass in midair. He was in so much shock that he let her run past him to get another touchdown.

"That's two," Shego said, exchanging high fives with Kim before pulling her closer to whisper into her ear.

"We better not lose man," Shane hissed as they huddled together to strategize their next attack. "I can't believe you threw an interception to a girl!"

"Shut up man!" Kyle retorted. "We'll get them with this one." As Shane snapped the ball to him, he looked ahead to see if Shane was free. He bent his arm back and was about to pass when he felt himself getting tagged at the back. He looked back to see Kim smiling at him.

"That's one down," Kim said, walking back to Shego who was laughing.

On the next play, Kyle managed to pass the ball to Shane despite Kim's close defense, but on the other end, Shane was constantly being bothered by Shego and let the ball slip out of his hands, which Shego easily picked up. Shane made up for his mistake by tagging the disguised villainess before she could make a run for it. To both of their surprise, both women forewent their huddle and went straight to offense.

At the snap, Shego charged down the field intent of getting the winning touchdown. For a moment, both Kyle and Shane seemingly forgot their strategy and scrambled towards the ball carrier. It seemed like they were both going to tag Shego, but before they could do that the raven-haired woman quickly fired off a pass and got out of the way before both men rammed into her.

At the end zone, their stood Kim waiting for the ball to fall into her waiting hands. As pigskin met with human flesh, Kim raised the ball high into the air and yelled triumphantly. "We win!" she laughed as Shego ran towards her, picked her up and swung her around.

Shego put Kim down after a few more seconds of celebrating. "Well boys? A deal is a deal. You're leaving this beach without a single stitch of clothing on you!"

Both Shane and Kyle stared at both women incredulously. "This was stupid," Shane grumbled, turning around and walking in the opposite direction. "Come on Kyle, we're out of here!"

"Hmmmm… so we're dealing with a bunch of wusses huh?" Shego remarked loudly, not at all impressed with the display of cowardice by the two men. "You really better rethink your decision." Shego pulled off her shades and stared at them with level eyes.

"We have and we're walking," Shane called back without looking back at them.

"Shego, let them go already," Kim said. She could only gape and press a hand to her forehead when her protector lit up her fists and threw a ball of green plasma at the boys' feet. "Happy now?" Kim said with disdain in her voice. "You just gave yourself away!" She looked over to Kyle and Shane and saw that they were about to run off.

"One of the things I hate the most is people who back out of a deal they made!" Shego growled this time throwing several balls of green plasma around the boys to stop them in their tracks. Leisurely making her way to the cowering boys, Shego pasted a smile on her face and looked down at their trembling figures. "See? If you kept your end of the bargain, this wouldn't have happened," she told them, lifting her ignited fists before her to emphasize her point. "Now I'll give you a chance. Either you strip now and make your way back to you hotel rooms or I'll burn your clothes off."

Both men gulped and stared up at Shego in fear. They knew that it was a mistake to mess with this woman. They also believed that when she told them she'd burn their clothes off, she wouldn't take care not to burn their skin as well.

"Well boys? Will you do it or not?" Shego asked again. "By the way, I'll make the deal a little easier on you guys. Forget about what you saw today and I'll let you use that surfboard to cover up while you guys head back to your rooms in the nude." She pointed at a discarded surfboard on the beach then looked back at her victims. "But if I find out that you've guys have tattled on me, trust me, you won't like it if I decide to come after you."

Kim sort of felt sorry for the boys, but it was their fault for agreeing with deal they proposed. They made the situation all the more worse when they didn't uphold the terms they agreed on with Shego. On the part of the boys, it was a wrong move to mess with Shego. Now the only way to get out of her clutches was to do as she said. "If I were you, you should accept her offer and soon. She might change her mind," Kim advised.

Slowly, both men got to their feet and turned their backs to them. For a while, Shego thought that they were going to run off, but to her amusement, they grudgingly began to strip out of their clothing. As soon as every stitch was off their body, Shane ran to the surfboard and held it over their lower abdomen. "Happy now?" Shane asked in annoyance.

Shego took one look at the sight the pair made and threw her head back in laughter. "Pretty much!" she replied, spotting a group of ten or more people coming their way. "Well boys, the game was fun, but not as fun as the punishment you're going through now." The sounds of shocked voices and clicking of camera shutters came to their ears as the group of people neared them. "If you want to save yourself from further embarrassment, I suggest you get out of here."

Needing no more encouragement, both men stumbled across the sand as they struggled to hide their manhood from the public. As they stepped off the beach, the group of tourists passed Kim and Shego on their way back to their rooms and possibly to get better shots of the naked men.

"Well that was… interesting," Kim said to no one in particular while Shego continued laugh. "I've been meaning to ask, where and when did you learn how to play American football?"

"Oh that?" Shego put her shades back on and dusted the sand off her body. "My dad used to be on the football team of Go University. He was a first string linebacker back then and he taught Hego, Mego and me to play when we were younger," she explained. "Of course Hego was the most suited for the sport and when he and dad were together, they'd spend their time playing."

"And you?" Kim prodded.

Shego shook her head. "I know how to play the sport, but it's not a favorite or anything so I left dad and Hego at it. Speaking of Hego, the reason why he got into Go University was through a football scholarship."

"I thought he was smart," Kim said, wondering if Hego excelled in the sport because of his comet-born powers.

Shego snorted. "Yeah right! He was an average student and he wouldn't have gotten that slot if he didn't have football as a fallback." She looked at the sun and noticed that it was beginning its descent on the horizon. "Well, the good thing was that he was a really studious person so he was able to maintain his grades and play for the football team at the same time," she added, leading the way back to the villa.

Kim nodded and picked up her pace so that she could link their arms together. "I'm glad though that we won," she told her lover with a broad smile. "I wouldn't have wanted to go on a double date with two total strangers." She snuggled closer to Shego's frame as they got closer to the villa. They were talking about their plans for the evening when Kim's mother stepped out of the house waving Kim's kimmunicator in the air.

"Kim! Wade just called! He said it's urgent!" Ann called out to them, watching her daughter release her girlfriend and jog towards her. "Better return his call," she suggested, handing the device to her daughter and walking back inside the house.

"You're on vacation," Shego muttered, getting to Kim's side just as she speed-dialed Wade's number.

"Hush Shego!" Kim admonished as Wade's familiar face blinked onscreen. "Hey Wade! Sorry if I didn't answer the first time around," she apologized. "Mom said though that it was urgent."

"_It actually is Kim! You see…"_ Wade paused and saw Shego's face looking at him from over Kim's shoulder. _"Uhhhh… Hi Shego,"_ he greeted nervously.

Shego tersely nodded her head at him. "Nerdlinger," she greeted back.

Kim furrowed her eyebrows at her protector before focusing once more at her kimmunicator's screen. "So what's the sitch Wade? You know I'll help out even if I'm in the middle of a short vacation," she told him.

"_We've got a report that a suspicious operation is going on in a luxury yacht about twenty miles north of Molokai island," _Wade began, showing Kim a satellite shot of the yacht. _"Some witnesses reported seeing a group of shady men boarding the boat and loading it with several metal crates."_

Kim nodded her head to this. "So I should go and investigate?"

Wade nodded. _"Global Justice has actually sent a team to the site, but it wouldn't hurt if you head over there yourself since it's nearby. Sorry if I can't provide you with any other equipment though. You'll have to make do with whatever you have as of the moment."_

"Not a problem Wade. I'll call you when I get to the boat." Kim switched off her kimmunicator and headed inside the house. "Mom! Dad! I'm heading out on a mission!" she announced to her family who were all gathered around in the living room.

"During our vacation?" James asked with a frown.

"It's actually just off the coast of the island, dad," Kim told him as she set her kimmunicator on the table. "It's most likely just going to be a short trip so you don't have to worry about it."

"Shego?" Ann looked at the villainess expectantly.

Shego sighed and nodded her head. "She'll be fine and besides, I'll be with her." She pulled off her hair tie and redid her ponytail. "You better get into some clothes before we go on your mission," she told her charge who was still in her bikini. "If you're really in a hurry, you could just throw on a pair of shorts and a shirt. Me on the other hand, I'm just going to put on a shirt." She grabbed her neatly folded-up wifebeater shirt on the couch and put it on.

"I'll do that. Give me a minute." Kim ran up the stairs and into her room.

"How was your day at the beach?" Ann asked, motioning for Shego to take a seat next to her on the couch.

"Oh I ended up taking a nap while Kim went wakeboarding," Shego replied, shaking her head to the offered seat since she was leaving with Kim anyway. "Afterwards though, two guys challenged us to a touch football game with dates with us as prize if they win."

Ann chuckled at this. "So what happened?"

"They lost," Shego replied in a straight voice.

"I figured," Ann said, blue eyes twinkling in amusement."And what did you get in return for winning the game?"

Shego waited as Ann scolded her rowdy sons before giving her reply. "Let's just say we got a _show_." She could on grin at the neurosurgeon who looked very confused. "Ready to go princess?" Shego asked her charge before Ann could pry.

Kim nodded her head and checked her outfit. She had taken Shego's advice and just put on a thin shirt and board shorts. It seemed like a good idea since they were probably going to borrow a speedboat to get to the yacht. "We'll be back in an hour or so!" she bid her family goodbye then led Shego out of the house and back towards the rental shack.

* * *

The sun was dipping lower on the horizon when Kim and Shego finally secured their speedboat beside the large yacht. Another boat was tied to it, which she guessed belonged to the team sent in by Global Justice. With the engine off, the protector and her charge climbed on board the yacht and searched for the nearest person.

"Anyone here?" Kim called as she and Shego entered the large cabin.

"Kim Possible!" A man's deep voice greeted her.

"Oh hey Dash!" Kim greeted, recognizing the familiar blue and yellow uniforms of Team Impossible. "Long time no see! I'm surprised that Doctor Director sent you out on this mission. She usually assigns you to the more dangerous ones." She stepped aside to see what else was happening in the room. "I see that you have everything under control."

Dash nodded his head and watched as his two teammates secured ropes around four men. "We snuck on board and ambushed them while they were unpacking the contents of the crates," he told Kim while Shego leaned back against a wall obviously bored at the lack of activity.

"What were in the crates?"

Crash stepped away from their prisoners and headed to one of the crates. He reached inside and brought out a metal ball the size of a baseball. "We found these. We weren't sure what it was until Burn threatened one of them to spill the beans."

"They say there are chemicals in those things, but they don't know what they exactly are and what they do," Burn added. "They claim that they're just the hired thugs of their employer and were going to deliver the goods to somewhere on Molokai island."

"Figures," Kim let out. "They wouldn't be lurking this close to the island if they were going to deliver it somewhere else." She glanced back at Shego who continued to observe the scene with bored emerald green eyes. "So is there anything I could to help?"

Dash shook his head. "Not really," he replied. "We pretty much have everything under control here though you can stay and look things over if you want." He went back to their prisoners and continued his interrogation.

Not wanting to head back home right away, Kim walked over to Crash who was looking over one particular metal ball. "Still can't figure out what's inside?" Kim asked, crouching next to the older man and bringing her face closer to the device. "It kind of reminds me of a similar device that let out smoke and got me stuck to another person."

"It might be something like that," Crash replied, twisting the small metal ball around with his hands. "But we aren't even sure that those henchmen are telling the truth. They might just be ordinary metal balls or something." He offered the unknown device to Kim who took it in her hands.

"If they were just ordinary metal balls, what are they going to be used for on Molokai?" Kim wondered aloud, running her fingers over its surface. The tip of her finger ran over a slight bump on the metal's surface, making the ball produce a whirring sound. Surprised, Kim dropped the ball, which then released a puff of blue smoke in their faces. "Oh no…" Kim let out, feeling a little bit relieved that she and Crash weren't sticking together like how she and Bonnie did. "Please tell me that nothing bad is going to happen to me!"

Crash frowned and looked himself over. "I have my med kit. I can do some tests on us to check if this thing has induced something bad on us." He straightened and began to rummage through a small box. "It's not very sophisticated, but I can do some blood tests and I have a biometric scanner."

Shego crouched down beside Kim and cupped her face. "Are you alright? Do you feel anything strange happening in your body?" She tried not to sound worried, but her eyes easily gave her feelings away.

"Yes and no," Kim answered the two questions directed at her. "I don't feel anything strange… yet." She offered her arm to Crash and allowed him to take a sample of blood from her. She gave Shego a shaky smile, obviously feeling a little bit worried about her health.

"Hmmm… we'll have to wait and see the results of your blood test and the biometric scan." Shego helped Kim up and led her to a nearby couch. They both watched as Crash worked quickly using the medical equipment he brought with him. He paused to make Kim hold onto his biometric scanner for any abnormalities in her body before going back to work. After a ten more minutes of testing, he shook his head and gave Shego and Kim a baffled look.

"I came up with nothing," he informed them. "Quite unusual since my biometric scanner can pick up anything strange happening in a human body." Crash shook his head and motioned for his teammates to come over. "Looks like it's some sort of drug, but we don't know its effects even after being involuntarily exposed to it."

Dash frowned. "We should bring back a few samples to Global Justice for proper testing." He watched as burns grabbed a few of the metal balls and stored them in his belt bag. "For now, I can only assume that the one you used was a dud since Crash's biometric scanner didn't pick up anything."

Shego nodded her head. "It might be for the best if we head back," she told Kim. "There's nothing else to do, but to wait for the proper test results and figure out if this drug has an effect on you." She gestured at the cabin's exit. "I'll get the boat ready. Wrap things up here."

While Shego walked off to their speedboat, Kim reviewed the situation with Team Impossible once more before they decided to part ways for the day. "Give me a call when you find out more about the drug."

"We'll do that Kim," Dash replied, giving her a salute as she exited the cabin.

Walking to the railing of the yacht, Kim vaulted over it and fell towards the speedboat. Her landing was seemingly fine, but as her feet hit the floor of the boat, her knees suddenly gave way. She saved herself from a face plant by bracing her hands on the deck. She looked up and smiled at Shego. "I must be tired from the wakeboarding I did earlier."

Shego gave her a strange look before shrugging her shoulders. "You're probably right. Let's head home." She ignited the speedboat's engines and pulled away from the yacht.

* * *

They arrived at their resort's pier after an hour since Shego wanted to explore a bit using the speedboat. By the time the sun had already disappeared on the horizon, Kim and Shego were trudging across the beach towards the villa Leila Go let them used for their vacation.

"I want to put up a bath and soak in it for at least an hour," Shego let out, stretching her arms. "We've been out the whole day and I don't really like the feel of my hair." She ran her fingers through her undone raven black hair and frowned. "Want to join me?" she asked her charge who looked somewhat tired and a little flushed. "You ok?"

"Hmmm?" Kim looked up at her protector and nodded her head. "I'm alright. I just feel tired for some reason." She pressed a hand to her forehead and noticed a slight heat emanating from her skin. "I don't know, but I think all the strenuous activities that I've done for the past few days are finally taking its toll on my body."

Shego tipped her head to the side and thought about it. "Maybe you're right. You are human after all and you're bound to get sick once in a while." She took Kim's hand and led her inside the house. "Come on princess, you're going to take a warm shower and get straight into bed."

"Hi girls," Ann greeted as she made her way down the stairs. "How was the mission?"

Shego shook her head. "Boring except for a small mishap that happened," she replied. "Nothing to worry about though except that Kimmie here is tired," she continued, giving Kim over to her mother who looked her over.

"A warm shower will do her some good and some sleep," Ann deduced. "Come on Kimmie-cub, I'll help you into the shower while Shego can get some food into her system." She led Kim up the stairs and into the nearest bathroom.

While Kim took a shower, Shego sat with Kaila and Derek at the dining table. She told them everything that she could about the small mission she and Kim went to as she ate her dinner. Kaila was reading a hardback book as she listened, but Derek was quite interested in the details of the mission so Shego did her best to inform him. Kim was already in bed by the time Shego went upstairs to take a shower of her own although she didn't hop into bed with Kim right afterwards.

"Not sleepy?" Ann asked. Among them, it was only Nana and the kids who were in their rooms sleeping. "Perhaps you miss spending time with older people?" she teased, scooting over on the couch to let Shego sit beside her.

"Very funny Ann," Shego muttered, but sat beside the neurosurgeon anyway. "Anything interesting on TV?" she asked the older adults.

"Nothing much," Kaila replied, still reading her hardback book.

Slim laughed. "Although the news about your friend's engagement has been going on," he added. "This Lorenzo of yours is quite popular!"

Shego smiled and leaned back. They weren't her family, but it felt good to be in their company. Her family on the other hand had been broken for so many years now and it was hard to remember what it was like when they were all still together. Together, they sat and watched the evening television shows for the next few hour until the villa's videophone rang from the other room. "I'll get it," Shego offered, getting out of her seat and tapping the videophone's screen. "Oh hey mom!"

"_Hello Shannon,"_ Leila greeted back. _"I just wanted to check how you and the Possible's were doing."_

Shego nodded her head and glanced at the Possible siblings. "They're enjoying themselves thanks to the strings you pulled," she told her mother.

"_That's good to hear. If they wish to extend their stay, I could also arrange for it."_

Shego shook her head. "I don't know mom. They do have work you know," she reminded her. "And Kim has to go back to school," she added, glancing at her watch and realizing that it was past ten in the evening. "I wish I could stay here longer though, but duty calls."

Leila Go laughed. _"That's my girl! Always dedicated to her job!" _She opened her mouth and to ask another question when a loud thud and the voices distracted Shego from their conversation. _"What was that?"_

Shego frowned. "I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out. Don't hang up mom." The villainess walked out of the room and immediately saw the trouble spot. At the base of the stairs were Ann, James, Kaila, Derek and Slim all hovering over a motionless body. "What happened?" Shego demanded, making her way towards the group, emerald green eyes widening when she saw who it was on the floor. "Move aside!" she ordered, crouching down to get a better look at her charge. "Kim? Are you in pain?"

Kim's condition baffled Shego, her parents, aunt and uncle. It looked like that Kim had a fever due to her weakened state, her flushed face and the light sheen of sweat on her forehead, but something didn't seem right. She was also breathing heavily with her mouth slightly open. All the redhead could do was reach out to Shego.

Shego's face was tight with worry as she grabbed hold of Kim's hand. "I'm carrying her to the couch," she told everyone around her. As they backed away, Shego slipped her hand behind Kim's back and underneath her knees and effortlessly carried her charge towards the vacant couch. "You better take a look at her Ann. You're the doctor around here. I'll go talk to mom to see if we could get Kim airlifted to the nearest hospital."

"_What happened?"_ Leila asked once more when her daughter came back on screen.

"Something's wrong with Kim. I'm guessing it has something to do with that mysterious drug she was exposed to awhile ago," Shego told her. "Mom is there a hospital on the island? I want to take Kim there right away."

"_Hmmm… there's only a small clinic there. You'll have to airlift her to another island that has a bigger hospital."_

"And is there a helicopter or plane nearby?" Shego asked, somehow feeling that there wasn't going to be a vehicle to transport them.

"_I'll ask around, but I don't think I'll be able to find any," _Leila replied. _"A storm's coming in fast in your area and most of the water and air vehicles are tied down in preparation for the storm." _

Shego frowned and began to curse.

"_Now, now Shannon," _Leila scolded her daughter. _"Don't get so uptight. In the meantime, detach the screen from the videophone and bring it outside so that I could see what's happening. I might be able to help out despite not being a doctor." _

Even if Shego was trying her hardest not to look worried, she knew her mother could easily sense it. She obediently followed her mother's instructions and detached the screen from the communications device. She set the screen down on the living room table so that her mother had a view of what was going on. At the moment, Ann was thoroughly checking her daughter's condition.

"_What have you found out?"_ Leila asked Ann who was frowning deeply while her husband worriedly paced around the room.

The neurosurgeon shook her head. "I'm confused," she admitted. "I thought it was a fever, but her symptoms don't make any sense."

"I feel… hot…" Kim said breathily as she curled up into a tight ball on the couch. "It aches mom…" Kim shuddered as she lay on the couch.

Ann laid her hand over her daughter's heart. "Her heart is palpitating," she told them, shaking her head. "I wish it was a fever, but…" she paused.

"_What is it Ann? If you know what wrong, tell us so that we could take immediate action before the storm comes in," _Leila told the older redhead.

Ann first looked at her husband then her in-laws. "This may sound really… weird," she began, looking a bit flustered. "But if I don't know any better, I'd say that Kim's condition is quite similar to estrus."

James blinked. "Honey, I don't understand med talk. I'm a rocket scientist remember," he reminded his wife who continued to look flustered. "Now what is this estrus thing?" He frowned when his wife refused to answer.

"James," Kaila went over to him. "Estrus is being in heat," she explained in simple terms, narrowing her eyes at her older brother when he gave her a weird look. "It's a regular period of sexual excitement in female mammals. Typically, it's that time when they want to _mate._"

The rocket scientist's face turned as pale as a sheet. "What?!" he roared. "Are you telling me that my daughter is… is… horny?" he sputtered. "How did this happen?"

Shego took over and began to explain what had happened in the mission they were on earlier. "Kim and Crash underwent some tests and they came up empty so we assumed that the drug was a dud," Shego told them, suddenly feeling weary. "I didn't think that the drug was some sort of potent ecstasy drug though." She looked at the detached videophone screen. "Any luck on finding a plane or something to take Kim to the other island?"

Leila shook her head. _"No luck. I won't be able to get one until the storm passes."_ Leila took a closer look at the afflicted teen hero. _"I don't think you should leave her that way though,"_ she remarked. _"That drug seems potent enough that it may do some damage if not treated right away." _

Ann shook her head. "I don't know what to do though. This isn't something that I deal with in my field of work." She looked at Leila. "Do you have any ideas?"

"_Just one. Shannon come over here,"_ Leila ordered her daughter.

"What mom?" Shego asked, keeping one eye on the screen and another eye on her charge.

"_How are you stamina-wise? I know you've been working out frequently."_

Shego raised her eyebrows. "I'm pretty good I guess. I can jog for around six hours straight and probably extend to more than ten hours if I use my powers," she informed her mother, not at all sure what she was getting at. "Why do you ask?"

Leila Go didn't bother to reply to her daughter's inquiry. _"It's simple then. You'll have to resort to the natural way of things." _Now she looked seriously at her daughter. _"Take her to bed, Shannon." _

"Take her to bed?!" James asked indignantly. "We should take her to a hospital!" Apparently, he was still not aware of the true intention of Leila's advice.

"Honey," Ann took her husband's hand. "You're taking it too literally."

James stared at his wife then stared at the somewhat shocked Shego then at his daughter. "Oh no… she can't!" he stuttered.

"_Think of it this way Doctor," _Leila started. _"This will surely aid in the unique situation Kim is in as compared to the other options. I'm sure Global Justice is still in the process of testing the drug or even just beginning in the formation of a cure for this drug's effects." _She gazed at each of the adults present in the room. _"If you leave her in that state for too long, who knows what will happen. Besides, it's not likely that Shannon's going to get her pregnant."_

"Mom stop already," Shego wearily ordered. "I know what I'm supposed to do already ok?" She looked at Ann and James Possible. "I won't do it if you don't want me to," she told them. "But I care for your daughter, alright? I would never hurt her let alone allow her to suffer the effects of this damned drug."

James opened his mouth to refuse, but was stopped by his wife and siblings. "Are you sure?" he asked them. "It doesn't seem… right."

"What choice do we have?" Ann asked him. "I don't want to see Kim suffer like this," she said, tears forming in her blue eyes.

The rocket scientist let out a defeated sigh and focused his attention at Shego. "I still feel awkward about this, but…" he hesitated. "I trust you. You've protected my daughter for the past few months and there's no other person I would look to handle this situation."

Shego nodded her head. Without a word, she gathered her redheaded charge in her arms, and carried her up to their room.

* * *

_**I knowwwww…. It took forever for me to update. Sorry about that, but school really kept me busy and I really needed to savor the two-week Christmas break. I tried to make up for the absence with an extra long chapter. Unfortunately, it's a cliffhanger! Hahaha! There is a valid reason to that though. I still haven't decided if I should write an NC-17 portion. It's been a while since I last wrote one and I'm not so sure that my skills are still up to it. I am open to your suggestions though.**_

_**Anyhow, belated merry Christmas and happy new year to you all! **_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Shadowed one **_


	18. Aftermath

_**Warning. This chapter has NC-17 content.**_

_**I suppose the warning is useless anyway since most of you are already expecting something steamy. **_

_**Nevertheless, you have been forewarned.**_

_**

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**_

_Chapter 18: Aftermath_

Ordinarily, most people would be grinning from ear to ear knowing that they were finally going to bed their boyfriend or girlfriend for the first time. For Shego on the other hand, she just couldn't bring herself to smile especially since she was forced into this awkward situation. Her redheaded charge was involuntarily made horny because of a potent ecstasy drug and instead of handing her over to a doctor with capable hands, the Possible's and her own mother put her in charge. Not only did she feel like this was wrong for her to do, but she also felt embarrassed by the fact that she has to have sex with Kim in the villa she shared with the latter's family.

A soft whine broke the villainess out of her turbulent thoughts. With the short time of knowing that Kim was in a state of estrus or heat as Ann Possible deduced, Shego also found also realized that Kim's physical sensation had been upped by who knows what. Even simply gliding her fingertip against the teen hero's skin would make the younger girl tremble violently. Shego gently shushed her charge as she stepped into their bedroom and kicked the door shut. It was becoming even more difficult for Shego to control her feelings as she padded across floor and laid Kim down on the bed.

"What's wrong with me?" Kim rasped, gazing up at her lover with half-lidded eyes. "Am I… dying?" One hand clutched at the bed sheets beneath her as Shego sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed Kim's auburn hair with a gentle hand. Fortunately enough for Shego, the drug had not taken away the consciousness of her charge.

"Don't be stupid, princess," Shego let out a bit too harshly, watching Kim flinch at the tone of her voice. She shook her head and gave her young lover an apologetic look. How could she not feel edgy in this situation? "The drug was not designed to kill a person." She let her hand drift down from Kim's hair to her face and gently cupped one heated cheek.

Kim weakly nodded her head and struggled to sit up, only to be pushed back down by her protector. "So what's wrong with me then?" she demanded, green eyes unknowingly glazed from desire and perhaps even lust. "What the hell is that drug do-" she let out a gasp when she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. "S-Shego?" she called out, biting down on her lower lip when a surge similar to electricity raced up her spine. A strong tremor racked her body as Shego's fingers slowly traced languid circles on her lower back.

The raven-haired woman felt her throat tighten as she struggled to come up with an explanation. "The drug," she began in a whisper since her lips were close to Kim's ear. "-was designed to mess with your head," she continued, inching Kim's shirt up so that she could continue teasing the younger girl's smooth skin. The smell of Kim's newly washed hair and the nearly invisible scent of desire was putting Shego on the edge of losing her sanity and self control. "Your hormones, more specifically," she added.

"W-What?" Kim stuttered, her mind beginning to liquefy with the overwhelming feelings she was getting. "I don't understand," she managed to let out in half a moan through her grit teeth. The simple ministrations of Shego intensified the strange surges that pulsated through her body. "I-I'm just feverish! That's all!" Somehow in the back of her head, she already knew what was exactly wrong with her and why her body was reacting in this way. Denial had always been a difficult obstacle for her to overcome.

Shego smiled softly then lightly laved the helix of Kim's ear with the tip of her moist tongue. "I'll be blunt with you, Kimmie," she cooed into her ear, enjoying the involuntary shudder she produced in her charge. "That drug made you horny and if you can hear the thunder from outside, there's no way we can get you to another island to get you fixed up." She pulled away to gaze down at Kim's face, which was filled with desire and confusion.

"H-How about Global Justice?" Kim tried, taking in a sharp breath when Shego pulled her in closer and nuzzled her neck.

"Still in the process of developing a cure."

Another intake of sharp breath. "M-Mom?" Kim murmured, tilting her head back and squeezing her jade green eyes shut as irresistibly soft lips drifted along her elongated throat.

The villainess chuckled deeply, producing a low rumble from her throat. "Your mother's only contribution was to successfully identify what was wrong with you," she replied, pushing Kim against the headboard and letting her hands wander and explore the contours of Kim's body. "As for the cure, you can thank my mother for that." She nipped playfully at the sensitive skin of her lover's neck.

"Your mother?" Kim demanded, biting back a moan as her body instinctively arched when Shego's roving hands moved across her sensitive pert peaks. The heat Shego was creating in her was making her dizzy with desire. Her muddled brain was not helping out either.

"After all these years of being at each other's throats, you would know me like the back of your hand," Shego started, mischievously slipping her hands underneath Kim's thin shirt. "Well not that well, but you get the point," she added, touching the flesh of Kim's abdomen and smiling when her lover jerked. "I don't trust anyone," she told her. "The only person I put my utmost trust in was my mother… and you recently." She went lower, pulled away Kim's shirt collar and lipped at her exposed collarbone. "When she told me to have sex with you, I knew that she was right."

"Sex?" Kim squeaked, throwing her head back as her lover's inquisitive and calloused fingers glided up her chest and gently tenderly caressed her sensitive mounds.

"You ask too many questions," Shego grunted, this time cupping each of Kim's modestly sized breasts in her hands and kneading them. "For crying out loud, can you please hold that tongue back?" she said when her redheaded charge opened her mouth to talk. It came out as a low growl, but her command was heeded. "Look Kim," she started, her hands never stopping their ministrations. "I told you before that I didn't want to make your first time appear forced." Shego took away one hand and flipped her hair over a shoulder. "In any case, this situation may seem like I'm only forcing myself to have sex with you to counter the effects of the drug, but what I feel for you offsets that fact."

Kim let out another shuddering breath as Shego's fingers released one mound and teasingly began to circle the sensitive nub at its peak. The sight of her with her shirt bunched above her breasts and flushed cheeks was most likely the cause of those glowing emerald green orbs gazing lovingly back at her. "Shego…" she moaned, thrust her chest forward to urge her lover on, the back of her head against the headboard supporting her weight.

"Shhhh…" the villainess drew back her hands, encircled them around Kim's trembling body and pulled her close. She wasn't sure whose heart she felt and heard with their chests pressed so tightly against each other. The only thing she was sure of was that she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't nervous. "Will… you… let me?" she asked, her voice cracking due to the raw emotions she felt.

Kim could only manage to nod her head as her own emotions almost got the better of her. She blinked away the tears that had already formed in her eyes then pulled away. Their eyes met and those piercing emerald green orbs burned like embers. She only had a moment to whisper her lover's name before her lips were claimed in a fiery kiss. Their mouths slanted repeatedly over each other, one gentle but domineering at the same time while the other sweet and eager.

Pale hands moved across Kim's thighs, squeezing at certain places before slowly making their way up, momentarily caressing those shapely hips then settling once more around her waist. "Open up for me," Shego commanded after pulling away from the kiss then diving back in. Her tongue slid across her young lover's lower lip, prompting the latter to part her lips and allow her entrance. The slick and warm confines of the heroine's mouth almost drove Shego crazy as their tongues dueled, sensually gliding over each other.

"S-Shego…" Kim murmured out in between their kisses.

"Relax," Shego advised her charge, trailing kisses down the side of Kim's jaw and once again lavishing the younger woman's neck. Her hands moved upwards again, intent on giving her lover pleasure. The shirt Kim wore was quickly pulled off her body and discarded to the floor. Her calloused but nevertheless gentle hands cupped those pert mounds once more as she leaned down and planted a kiss on one erect nub, eliciting a cry of pleasure from the redhead. She reveled in the sweet scent of her charge and the taste of her flesh. "Just let go."

The teen hero let out another sultry groan as she finally lost control of her body and fell back onto the bed, breathing heavily. Her head tossed and turned on the pristine white pillow as her hands alternated from gripping the sheets beneath her and entangling themselves in that mane of raven-black hair cascading over her chest. "Shego… s-stop," Kim gasped, writhing in her protector's hold as one erect nub was eased into Shego's warm and demanding mouth. Her hands grasped the villainess' hair a bit too hard, which prompted the latter to take Kim's hands and pin them against the bed.

A light chuckle emanated from the pale-skinned woman. "You're… just… too cute… princess," Shego breathed out against Kim's chest as she made her way down her chest in an almost painfully slow manner. She nipped at her charge's taut stomach, relinquishing her hold on one of Kim's hands, using her freed hand to press down on Kim's stomach and keep her from sitting up. Her fingers continued to tease as they slipped in and out of the hem of Kim's cloth pants, drawing inconsistent gasps from her.

"Don't… treat me… like I'm still a kid," Kim groaned out, lifting her hips to give her lover an easier time. She sucked in a long breath when those same elegant and inquisitive fingers slipped underneath the hem of her panties and teased her skin.

Shego had to grin as she pulled off Kim's pants and threw them onto the floor with the rest of Kim's discarded clothing. "I may treat you like a kid," she said in between kisses that trailed lower and lower to that forbidden region. "But you're definitely still a princess… _my princess_." Diverting her path, she eased back up Kim's lithe body and claimed those sweet lips again with her own. She made love to her mouth, penetrating and receding, forcing her to respond to her deliberate teasing.

Heat surged up from Kim's core up to her head as she struggled to keep up with Shego. She wrapped her arms around the older woman, clinging on to her as if she feared that if she let go, she would lose her protector forever. The sensation coursing through her body was oddly enough making her feel slightly scared, but it was still extremely pleasant. The light and caring touch of Shego made her restless with each passing second. She held back another low moan by clamping her lips onto her fingers when Shego lavished her neck once more with kisses while her fingers finally slipped further into her panties and intimately stroked the very heat of her.

The folds beneath her trimmed curls were soft, slick and incredibly hot. Shego was at first content with running her fingers along the redhead's nether lips, but the cries of pleasure and want urged her to take things further. With the pad of her thumb, the villainess rubbed that sensitive nub of flesh while her lips continued their onslaught of Kim's neck and breasts. Kim became wild in her arms when she finally eased her fingers into her, her body arching up and her hips bucking out for more.

The teen hero cried out in a mixture of fear and desire, for the intensity of the pleasure Shego forced onto her was quite new and overwhelming. She tried to push her lover's hand away even if her body contradicted her by wanting to move restlessly against Shego's fully clothed body. Her hands desperately travelled up Shego's back and clawed at her shoulder blades as she was brought closer and closer to losing herself. Kim's head rolled to the side while her protector slowly continued to stroke her core.

"It's alright," Shego whispered to her in a voice that seemed out of breath. She grit her teeth as she started to feel the chains of her control over her desire break apart little by little. There was only so much that she could do to keep herself under control and first give Kim pleasure before indulging in it herself. With sweat beading her forehead, she increased the pace, plunging her fingers into Kim's tight sheath.

Kim came undone. A passion she never knew until now ignited in the pit of her stomach and spread like wildfire all through body. She clung desperately to her protector, whimpering now, demanding with her slow, erotic movements to end the overwhelming bliss. "Shego!" she cried out when the fingers were retracted and a sense of emptiness befell her. "Please… ohhh!" she pleaded then surrendered herself once more when Shego's mouth descended onto her core.

She held back even when the pressure building inside of her rose to unbelievable levels that it was almost unbearable for her to continue like this. She teased the erect nub of flesh with her tongue as she sank her fingers into Kim once again. Shego fought the raging desire building within her and continued her assault on her younger lover with both her mouth and fingers. When she felt Kim suddenly tighten around her, she knew that her charge was about to find release. Upping the tempo of her fingers, the villainess made her way back up Kim's body and settled her lips over Kim's own. She pulled back and reveled at the how Kim looked like with the light sheen of sweat making her body glisten.

When Kim finally shuddered and the tremors of her climax overtook her whole being, Shego leaned back slightly and watched with arrogant satisfaction as Kim cried out in wonder and fear. The villainess waited the climax out and eased her fingers out of that tight sheath, gathering Kim in her arms and initiating a slow but still passionate kiss. She tenderly whispered sweet nothings into her charge's ear as the latter continued to breathe heavily. "You do know that I love you, right?" She planted a chaste kiss on Kim's forehead.

The auburn-haired girl nodded her head and nuzzled her protector's neck. "Shego?"

The villainess tightened her hold around Kim. "What?" she asked, letting out a sudden gasp when hands reached around her and gripped her behind. She gaped at the girl in her embrace and saw the glazed look of lust in those jade green orbs.

"I still… feel… hot," Kim slowly said, as if she wasn't entirely sure of how she felt. Her hands trailed upwards and brushed against the clothed chest of her lover. "I… want to _see_ you," she murmured, gently kneading those slightly larger breasts with her hands.

_She's still that… horny?! _Shego thought in shock as her brain began to zero in on the pleasurable sensations her charge was producing. She let out a content sigh when Kim began to nibble the flesh at the juncture of her shoulder and neck. _Can I seriously keep this up for who knows how long?_ Shego gave herself in this time as Kim initiated a long and passionate kiss with her. Her thoughts were gradually becoming less coherent as her inhibitions faded into lust and desire. With the help of Kim, she raised her arms into the air so that her shirt could be discarded while Kim's hands continued to tend to her breasts.

… _This is going to be… a long… night._

_

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_

Jade green orbs blinked sleepily as the sounds of crashing waves and the distant sounds of beachgoers having fun filled her ears. Kim brought a hand up and rubbed her eyes, working her way up to an upright position at the same time. The blanket pooled around her waist as she reached over to the bedside desk and grabbed her kimmunicator. "It's eleven in the morning already?" she murmured, wincing at how sore she felt.

The half-drawn blinds admitted beams of sunlight that streaked across the room. The villa was unusually silent as Kim looked around the room and nursed a building headache. "What… happened?" she wondered, trying to remember the previous night. She knew that she had gotten sick and that Shego had carried her back up to the room. _Shego?_ Kim furrowed her eyebrows as she turned her head and spotted the masses of raven black hair that flowed out from beneath the sheets. The sleeping figure of her protector shifted, rolling over onto her stomach and exposing her bare back. "W-What?!" Kim almost shouted upon realizing that the former villainess was naked. She quickly looked down at herself and saw that she too was devoid of clothing.

Jumping out of the bed, the redhead ran to the closet and hastily began to dress. Now that she saw her naked self and her equally naked lover, the memories of the previous night were coming back to her in muddled bits and pieces. Feverish kisses, gentle caresses, lustful moans, entangled limbs, cascading auburn and raven hair… the memories of the things she and Shego had done last night were making her blush deeply. Had she really done it?

Shaking her head, Kim quickly but quietly padded out of their bedroom and headed down the stairs. The house was devoid of humanity except for one shorthaired redhead who sat at the dining table with the morning paper. The neurosurgeon looked up from her newspaper, set it on the table and got out of her seat. "Kim? Are you feeling well?" she asked, worriedly looking over her daughter.

Kim pressed a hand against her aching head, but nodded anyway in response. "I'm sore, tired, experiencing a headache and quite confused, but I'm alright I think," she replied, walking towards her mother. "Why are you staring?"

Ann Possible shook her head. "You probably should stay inside for the rest of the day," she suggested. "You need more rest and Global Justice has sent over an envoy to administer the cure." She averted her gaze and turned red. "But if you do decide to head outside… you should probably cover up." She gestured at Kim's neck and watched as her daughter realized that her neck was covered with dark red marks.

"Great… just great," Kim muttered, fingering the marks on her neck. "Could you please tell me everything that happened last night?" she asked her mother, sitting at the dining room table and bracing her face in her hands. "The only thing I'm sure of is that Shego and I just had sex," she said drily.

"Now Kim, watch your language," Ann warned, setting a mug of steaming coffee in front of her daughter. "It's a good thing I sent your brothers out with your father a few hours ago. If they were here, they probably would be interrogating you right now." She took the seat beside her and did a quick check up. "It looks like you're fine and you're fortunately not showing any signs of sexual arousal and excitement," she deduced.

Kim let out a long breath. "Don't tell me they overheard," Kim begged, cheeks flushing at the probability that her younger brothers had heard her lovemaking session with Shego. Like everyone who has younger siblings, her brothers derived pleasure by making her deeply embarrassed and humiliated. "Did _you_ hear us?" she demanded.

Ann gave her a wry smile. "You have to be considerate on my part," she told her daughter. "As your mother, I was greatly worried about your condition." She twined their fingers together and looked at Kim with utmost seriousness. "I couldn't help but feel worry when we all agreed that Shego would be the best person to sate your sexual arousal," she continued, glancing outside the glass doors and noticing that the skies were turning into a dark gray. "Anyway, I stayed awake for most of the night. Besides Kimmie-cub, no matter how expensive this villa is, you have to admit that the walls are quite thin and not sound-proofed," she said sheepishly, tweaking the nose of the younger redhead.

Kim lightly banged her head against the dining table. "So everyone heard us then," she muttered.

The neurosurgeon shook her head. "I'm quite sure that your brothers were asleep and your father was dead asleep as soon as he hit the bed," she explained. "I doubt Nana heard too since she has the farthest room. As for your Aunt Kaila and Derek, if they did hear you they probably wouldn't bring it up." She reached out and smoothed Kim's hair with her hand. "Is Shego awake?"

Kim flushed and shook her head. Just mentioning her protector's name was making her feel hot and bothered. "She's sleeping so deeply," she told her mom. "I don't really know how… long it lasted, but I'm guessing it did last long since she's still sound asleep."

"She's probably tired, Kim," Ann pointed out, hearing the familiar pattering of rain pelting the roof and windows. "I'm guessing that you kept her up the whole night. Normal circumstances would dictate that sex would last for a few hours at the most. You could pretty much classify what Shego did as a marathon run."

"Mom!" Kim let out indignantly. It was hard for her to stomach how blunt her mother was being with her. "We couldn't have done it the whole night!" she argued. "I'll admit that it's possible if there were breaks in between each…" she paused, trying to come up with the term to use. "-session," she continued. "She couldn't have lasted." Kim was unsure of herself.

"You know Shego better than I, Kim," Ann remarked, taking their emptied mugs and bringing them to the sink. "That drug was really effective and I'm pretty sure it kept Shego's hands full. Regarding how she was able to last the whole night," she shrugged her shoulders. "Her powers aren't just meant for burning and blowing things up right?"

The glass doors swung open and in came James Possible, her brothers, Uncle Slim and Joss. They were all drenched from the late morning rains. "Ok boys. Head up to your rooms and take a hot shower or else you'll catch cold," James ordered, immediately spotting his daughter seated at the table.

"Hey Kim! I heard you were sick last night!" Joss said, looking quite naïve. Apparently, she wasn't aware yet of what had really happened. "Are you feeling better? I heard from Aunt Ann that Global Justice is sending over someone to administer the cure to whatever sickness is bothering you."

"What are those red marks on your neck?" Jim asked, walking over to the table and eying his older sister's neck.

Tim ambled over and copied his brother. "Hard to tell, but I'm guessing they're bites," he said, seemingly not noticing Kim flinch at his guess. "You slept with your windows open didn't you?"

"Huh?" Kim blinked at her brothers in surprise.

"Yeah, that's probably it. Mosquitoes and all sorts of bugs head indoors when the rains come in tropical islands," Jim said, returning the weird look his mother was giving him. "What? Why are you looking at us that way?"

"Ok boys! Up to your room!" James pushed his twin sons up the stairs and stood at the bottom until he heard their bedroom door click shut. The rocket scientist made his way back to the table and sat himself on the other side of his eldest child. "Hey Kimmie-cub," he greeted her with an awkward smile. "Are you feeling alright?"

Kim let out a frustrated sigh and got out of her chair. "Dad, you don't have to try to hide it," she told her father. She rolled her eyes when he flailed his arms in front of him in an attempt to conceal the truth from Joss. "I think Joss is old enough to know and probably knows about these things already anyway," she added, looking at her cousin carefully. "I wasn't exactly sick last night. I ingested this drug on the mission, which turned out to be one hell of an aphrodisiac," she explained, noting the shocked looks on her father and Joss' faces. "At that time, there wasn't any cure yet so Shego took over." The teen hero shrugged her shoulders. "You could probably guess the rest. The marks on my neck practically give it away."

Joss goggled at her for a good ten seconds. "Woah…" she let out in a rush of breath.

Slim laughed. "That was a better reaction than I expected," he told everyone, patting his daughter's shoulder. "Although, I am quite curious how you became this knowledgeable about this particular topic," he added in a serious tone. "Care to explain young lady?"

"Awww Dad!" Joss complained, face turning red in embarrassment. "I am sixteen!" she pointed out.

"It doesn't matter how old you are!" Slim Possible excused himself and his daughter from the room and marched Joss to the nearby study.

James rubbed his eyes with his hands. "You do realize that your honesty just got your cousin in trouble?"

Kim released another sigh. "I'll apologize later," she decided. "Right now, I need a pain reliever." She walked over to the living room and laid back on one of the couches. She really wasn't in the mood to talk about the previous night since it was both embarrassing and tiresome to talk about especially with her dad and other relatives. She was more worried about getting that cure before her body started acting up again. She was taking a nap when she felt someone shaking her awake."What is it?" she asked sleepily, realizing that she had slept for a good three hours.

"The envoy from Global Justice is here," Ann told her, helping her sit up on the couch while a man in the blue suit of the organization approached them.

"Kim Possible," he greeted, black hair and almond shaped eyes giving his identity away.

"Will?" Kim rubbed her eyes and got a better look at the young man. "You're the envoy?" she asked.

Will Du briskly nodded his head and held up a small pillbox. "The director would not trust anyone else in the organization to bring the cure to you," he said seriously, stepping forward and getting down on one knee. "Water?" He pulled open the pillbox and placed one white pill in the palm of Kim's hand. The top agent of Global Justice then took the glass of water from Kim's mom and handed it to her after she had popped the pill into her mouth.

"Will it take effect immediately?" Kim asked after gulping down the water.

The suited man nodded his head. "It should since we first tested it on Crash," he replied. "The chemical structure of the drug was simpler than we thought actually. The scientists were just thinking too hard when they were trying to come up with the cure." He glanced at his watch and nodded his head. "Well, I have to get back to the helipad and head back. I have another mission lined up."

"Won't you stay for a snack?" Ann suggested.

"Sorry ma'am, but I appreciate the offer." Will gave them a salute and exited the villa.

"Still as stiff as ever," Kim remarked, setting the glass on the living room table and leaning back against the couch. "We're leaving tomorrow morning right?"

"Yes. Our flight back to Middleton is at exactly six in the morning. You have class tomorrow already right?"

Kim nodded. "Well my class starts at ten so I won't be late," she told her mother.

"Well you should probably start packing," Ann suggested, waving hi to Kaila and Derek who just entered the villa. "By the way, it's quite late already," she remarked.

"What about it?" Kim raised an eyebrow and extended her greetings to her aunt and her fiancé.

The neurosurgeon jerked her head at the stairs. "You should probably check on Shego." She gave Kim a knowing smile the scurried off to work in the kitchen.

It took Kim a few minutes of staying seated on the couch before finally deciding that she should do her mother's suggestion and check on the condition of her protector. She took her time going up the stairs and made sure that her brothers, Joss and Nana were in their rooms before she quickly slipped into the bedroom she shared with the ex-hero. The room looked exactly how it looked like when she left it hours ago. The bed was still not made up and a noticeable lump was visible from beneath the thin blankets. Swallowing a sudden lump that had formed in her throat, Kim quietly made her way to the bed and sat on the unoccupied side. Sitting there for a long moment, she finally inched her hand towards Shego's sleeping form.

Suddenly the door creaked open and in came Shego who was wearing a fresh sleeveless shirt and jogging pants. Her hair was noticeably damp from her recent shower and she had a towel draped around her shoulders. Blinking those emerald green orbs in surprise, the villainess then lazily leaned against the doorframe and gazed at her charge. "I got lonely," she told the redhead with a yawn. "I could have stayed in bed longer if I had someone to hug."

The blush on Kim's face spread like wildfire. "I-I'm sorry," she let out in a stutter, feeling quite uneasy despite the added degree of closeness that she now shared with her protector.

"What are you apologizing about, princess?" Shego asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. "You just woke up and found yourself naked in bed with me." She dried her hair with her towel the tossed it onto a nearby chair. "Not unless you have something against-"

"I have nothing against having sex with you last night!" Kim blurted out, clapping her hands over her mouth when her declaration came out in a near shout.

The villainess smirked, took a hairbrush and briskly began to run it through her mane of black hair. "Well, I wasn't really going to put it that way, but it'll do," she told her charge. "You're as red as tomato, you know." She tossed her hair over her shoulders and sauntered over to the bed. "Are you that embarrassed about it?" Reaching out, Shego cupped Kim's cheek with her hand and urged her to look at her.

The redhead fervently shook her head. "I'm not embarrassed about the act itself," she started, leaning her face into her lover's warm hand. "I'm more embarrassed about how no-nonsensical you are about it." Kim raised her hand and laid it over the hand on her cheek. "It's like sex is so ordinary to you."

Shego laughed. "It is ordinary, princess. Everyone is bound to do it," she pointed out.

"Like you did years ago." Kim pouted, remembering the villainess' confession that she was not a virgin thanks to a particular noble-blooded Brit.

Shego frowned and pinched Kim's nose hard.

"Hey!" Kim protested.

"Hey yourself," Shego retorted. "Do I have to remind you that that incident happened years ago and was because of my drunken stupor?" She brought her face closer and rested their foreheads against each other. "He may have taken my virginity, but you got the better prize," she raised her other hand and laid it on Kim's other cheek.

"Oh? What's that?"

Shego smiled. "You got all of me," she replied, leaning down and capturing Kim's lips with her own. Unlike the kisses they shared the previous night, this one was simple, sweet and short. "If you keep going on like that," Shego started when she pulled away to take a breath. "You'll tempt me to take you again right here, right now."

Kim chuckled and wrapped her arms around Shego's neck. "It's nice to know that I have that effect on you," she told her. "Even without that stupid aphrodisiac," she added, sharing a laugh with her protector.

"Kim!" Ann's voice called from down the stairs. "All of us are going banana-boating! If Shego's awake already, why don't the two of you come join us?"

"I'd like to go banana-boating."

Shego shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds like… fun," she finished with a smile. Getting up, she pulled Kim to her feet. "I know I just took a shower, but we should savor our last day at the beach." Before Kim could leave the room with her bathing suit, Shego sneaked up behind her charge and hugged her from behind. "When we get back home though and we'll be all alone," she whispered into Kim's ear. "We can _try _again, right?"

Kim blushed heavily, stiffly nodded her head then scurried out of the room.

Shego stuck her head out into the hallway and laughed. "We could have changed in the room, you know!"

"Not with you!" Kim shouted back, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

"Too cute," Shego murmured, stepping back inside the room. "You're just too cute, princess."

* * *

_**This chapter was exceptionally difficult for me especially since it's been more than half a year since I last made an NC-17 scene. I'm not too sure if it turned out okay, but hopefully it did. As of the moment, I haven't decided if there's going to be another NC-17 scene in the latter chapters of this story. **_

_**Unfortunately, it's probably going to be around 5-8 more chapters more before the end. I do have other projects in mind (my other unfinished stories and my future projects lined up. Check my profile if you're interested).**_

_**Next chapter: Secret's Out**_


	19. Secret's Out

_Chapter 19: "Secret's Out"_

"That's a nice tan. Where'd you go over the break?" Tai asked as she did her pre-training stretches.

It was a crisp and warm morning that day. There were a few people about in the campus since it was only six in the morning. It was the ideal time for the football team of Go University to practice since mornings tended to be cool and the obvious lack of people. The only odd sight that morning was the presence of Kim. Why was it odd? The auburn-haired girl's classes would not be starting until ten later that morning.

The football player released a long sigh after plopping down on the grass to stretch properly her legs. "What's wrong Kim? You wouldn't be up this early if something was not up." She frowned at how stiff her leg muscles were and began to pound her fists into those lining the inside of her thighs. "It won't help to keep mum about it, you know."

"I did _it_ with Shego," Kim blurted almost too loudly. Luckily, Tai's teammates were too far down the field to hear her abrupt confession.

Amber orbs blinked once, then twice as the meaning of Kim's admission sunk in. "Did I just hear you right?" Tai asked, stretching out her legs in front of her and leaning back on her hands, the grass tickling her palms. "The infamous Shego has already taken the world-renowned Kim Possible to bed?" From the way she phrased that, it seemed like she was genuinely surprised despite the straight tone of voice she used.

Kim scowled, but nodded her head anyway. Leave it to Tai to take in such shocking news with an indifference that bordered becoming annoying. It's not like she had a choice on who to tell anyway. She had originally tried to contact Monique, but the fashion major was out of town for a project. Tai was the next best person outside of her family.

"So is there anything else you want to add?" Tai raised an eyebrow at her friend and gave her a knowing smile. "Having sex with Shego doesn't seem to be that big a problem. There has to be something more to that since it made you come outside this early." True, ever since Kim entered college, she rarely left her apartment before eight in the morning.

"I..." Kim frowned hard. "I just have this gut feeling that someone's been following me."

"You're worried that your relationship is going to be found out?" Tai clarified. Despite the fact that Kim was a quick thinker particularly during her missions, she had this annoying tendency of beating around the bush. In a way, she sort of had this gut feeling that Kim was worrying about her relationship with Shego going public.

The heroine nodded her head and sat next to her friend. Ever since she had broken up with Ron, Kim found it hard to come by a person she could confide in. Monique was getting harder and harder to reach and there wasn't anyone else she was close to in Go City aside from Shego and Tai. "I don't think Shego noticed, but there was a strange person lurking around the airport and looked like he was following us around on our way back to Middleton."

"Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?" Tai pointed out, leaning forward and hugging her knees. "You are quite famous and it may have just been a curious fan of some sort." The football player glanced at wristwatch then got back on her feet. "Anyhow, don't worry too much about it since nothing bad has happened yet." She leaned down and pulled up her socks. "I got to go," Tai jerked her head at her teammates who were getting ready to play a quick game. "Just give me a call if anything comes up." She playfully ruffled Kim's hair before running off.

The redhead let out another long sigh. "Don't make this a big deal," Kim muttered to herself as she gazed at the playing football players. "Nothing has happened… yet." She shook her head vehemently and got up to her feet. She was worrying needlessly at something that she wasn't even sure of, but then again when was the last time her intuition led her astray. The teen hero shrugged her shoulders. "It's still too early," she mused, looking up at the sky. "I guess I'll head home first and have some breakfast," she decided, happily hoping that her lover would be awake enough to have breakfast together.

Blissfully unaware as the redhead jogged for the nearest exit out of the campus, a suited figure's gaze followed the movement of his target before casually getting out of his seat on the bench.

* * *

"Wakey-wakey!" Kim dove into the bed she shared with her lover. "Let's have breakfast together, Shego!" She snuggled up to the grumbling and blanketed figure of her bodyguard. "Oh come on! It's not healthy to sleep in until late! You have to get up early once in a while!" she said cheerfully.

"That may count for other people, but it definitely doesn't count for me," Shego muttered, rolling to her side and facing away from her young lover. "Go away Kimmie," her voice muffled because her face was pressed into a pillow. "I need more sleep!"

Kim rolled her eyes and didn't let up as she continued to shake her lover's body. "You didn't sleep late last night and that gives you no reason to stay in bed!" Seriously, despite being an item, it was still incredibly difficult to get the green-skinned villainess out of bed.

"Since I have no idea how often you're going to get called out for missions, I need to get all the sleep I can get just so that I could follow you around and protect you at the same time!" Shego retorted. Quick as lightning, she grabbed Kim's arm and expertly flipped Kim onto her back. Perched atop Kim's lithe body, Shego roguishly smiled down at her. "What? Blushing already?" Shego laughed as she pinned Kim's wrists on either side of her head. "You're just too cute, princess," she teased.

"Shego! Get off!"

"What if I don't want to?"

"I thought you said you wanted to sleep some more!" Kim pointed out, wiggling her hips in an attempt to get Shego off her body.

"Oh please!" Shego rolled her eyes. "After all the shaking you did on me, how could I possibly go back to sleep?" She let out a low growl as Kim continued to struggle beneath her. The movement of Kim was starting to… arouse her in a way. "You do realize what you're doing to me?" she asked, letting go of one wrist and letting her hand travel down from Kim's auburn hair to her cheek in a gentle caress. "If you keep moving like that, I'm not sure how long my control will hold out," she wickedly informed her younger lover.

"O-Oh…" Kim breathed out, feeling heat travel quickly up her body to color her face into a deep crimson color. "I-I don't think it's the appropriate time to do _that_ Shego."

"Who are you to decide on that?" Shego smugly replied and dipped down to place a light kiss at the junction of skin where Kim's neck and shoulder met. "We've only done round one so far and round two is a little bit overdue." Her calloused but slender hands glided down Kim's chest and slipped underneath her lover's shirt. An involuntary gasp escaped from Kim's lips as her body jerked from the contact. It was merely a whispery touch on Kim's flesh, but it certainly had a profound effect.

"S-Shego!"

The villainess pulled away and yearningly gazed at those jade-green orbs. "Tell me then," she ordered huskily.

"Tell you what?" Kim rasped, already breathing heavily.

"Tell me that you don't want this and I'll stop."

Kim froze at what Shego just said. To her, it sounded very much like an ultimatum. She had to admit though that in the few months that she and Shego had been together as a couple, they hardly had any time to be intimate with each other aside from the kissing, occasional groping, teasing and the first time they had sex. Though now that she thought about, she shouldn't really consider that as their first time since she was delirious from the drug. Feeling slightly teary-eyed, Kim raised her arms and wrapped them around Shego's neck, pulling her down towards her and burying her face in the villainess' shoulder. She didn't have the heart to push her away. "Shego?" she said softly.

"What is it princess?" Shego's voice was as soft as Kim's as she too wrapped her arms around Kim's smaller body and pulled her close.

"I do want this," Kim told her, pulling back and gazing lovingly up at Shego. A sense of happiness seemed to form on her lover's face so she took the opportunity to weave her fingers into the long mane of raven hair, lean up and place soft kisses on Shego's forehead, cheeks and lastly her lips. "I love you too much to refuse."

A lump formed in Shego's throat upon hearing Kim's confession. For so long, their relationship was simply one-dimensional; Kim was the hero while Shego was the villainess. Their relationship never developed into anything else at that time. Eventually, it did evolve to becoming arch-nemeses, but after the attempt on Kim's life, Shego unknowingly exposed herself to possibilities that she never thought would happen to her or to Kim. It was an unwritten and unspoken rule that she broke; that a villain should never fall for the hero. _To hell with that,_ Shego thought. How could she have denied her feelings and the feelings of Kim? Even before their relationship, she did care for the teen heroine but not in a romantic way. Being put together in such a precarious situation simply led them to come together as a couple… a controversial one at that. "Tell me again," Shego growled low in her throat, as she gripped Kim's chin, tipped her head back and suckled on her lover's neck.

Kim gasped and tightened her grip on Shego's hair, still conscious enough to not exert too much force to not hurt her lover.

"Tell me that you love me," Shego breathed out, pulling back and capturing those kiss-swollen lips with her own.

"I… ohhh…" Kim whimpered between their heated kisses. "…love you… Shego!"

The villainess smiled, straightening herself while she straddled Kim's body beneath her. "That's all I need to hear, princess," she remarked, pulling off her shirt, throwing it aside and doing the same for Kim. "That's all I need to hear," she repeated, laying herself fully on top of her lover, savoring the heat created by their intertwined bodies and locking their lips in a passionate kiss.

* * *

"C-Could you stop staring like that?" Kim stammered, deeply embarrassed.

Shego chuckled and continued to appreciatively gaze at her girlfriend's quite naked body. It was nearly two hours later and Kim was in the process of dressing herself to get ready for her ten-thirty am class. "Why the hell are you embarrassed? From the two times we've done it, I've practically acquainted myself with every inch of your bare and sexy body." She purposely phrased her reply that way so that she could revel in the easy embarrassment of the teen heroine. Sultrily grinning, she winked at the deeply red Kim. "Interesting," Shego remarked, rubbing her chin in thought. "You turn red _everywhere _too!"

"Shego!" Kim shouted, turning her back at her lover and hurriedly pulling on her underwear.

"I was enjoying the show," Shego yawned, finally relenting to give her younger lover a break. Rolling to her side, the villainess reached towards the bedside table and grabbed her communications device. "Huh, no messages or orders from the director," she remarked to no one in particular. "I'm hoping that it means you won't be sent out on missions today."

"That would depend," Kim said, hopping over to their shared closet and pulling out a pair of jeans and a pale blue sleeveless hoodie shirt. "I'm actually hoping myself that I won't be called out today. I've been missing quite a lot of classes and it's getting difficult for me to catch up." She saw the raised eyebrows on Shego's face and shrugged. "I'm only human," she reminded her. "There's only so much that I can do as a working student."

"I guess so," Shego agreed, remembering herself that she had been put in a similar situation back when she was a college student in Go University. She pushed the blanket away, got to her feet and stretched her recently exercised body. "Who's doing the staring now?" Shego teased, linking her hands behind her head and smugly watching her once again very crimson-colored lover. "You're just too easy to tease." Walking over to her frozen girlfriend, she first smiled at the deeply embarrassed young woman before leaning down and sweetly kissing her. "You go ahead to your class. I'll follow as soon as I take a shower." She tucked a stray strand of that auburn hair behind Kim's ear before heading into the bathroom, purposely putting a sway to her hips to further tease the younger woman.

Taking a deep and shaky breath, Kim struggled to get a hold of the emotions thrumming beneath her skin. She was indeed a bit too easy to tease and she did get embarrassed rather easily. Shego had fun at her expense, but she knew that despite the teasing, there was affection in her green-hued lover's voice and deep emerald-green eyes. She had to admit that she never felt this content and pleased until she had convinced Shego to become her girlfriend. Ron had been sweet, but it was a bit too much like puppy love and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she somewhat felt that their relationship was hassling. Speaking of her former boyfriend, Kim thought that it's about time that she try to patch things up with him. After all, he was her best friend. Checking if she had all her things, Kim slung her messenger bag onto her shoulder and rapped on the closed bathroom door. "I'm leaving Shego!"

"I'll be with you in half an hour," Shego called from inside the bathroom.

With that, Kim headed out of the modern-style apartment and decided that it was too fine a day to take her car to the university campus. She leisurely walked the two blocks that separated Shego's apartment from the nearest gate of the university and strolled into her first class for the day just as the bell rang to signal its start. While her classmates waved at her and gave her cheerful greetings, Kim settled herself in a vacant seat by the window. She had become particular with her seat in various classes especially when Shego came into the picture. While Shego preferred Kim to seat herself away from the windows for fear of making herself an easy target, Kim thought otherwise. She decisively and quite stubbornly kept to the seats by the windows. Knowing that Shego was nearby, seated on a bench below or draped on a tree's branch gave her assurance that she was safe. Balken Steel was still at large and the longer he stayed out of trouble, the more nervous it made Kim.

A body plopped into the seat next to her. "Did I miss anything?" Tai whispered so that their professor wouldn't notice.

Kim shook her head and smiled at the football player. "He just started so there's nothing for you to worry about," she assured her friend. For a moment, she was slightly confused with the odd look her friend was giving her. "What?" she demanded in a soft voice.

"Kim, you're-"

"Miss Possible and-" the professor frowned at Tai. "-and miss football varsity player," he amended since he couldn't remember the girl's name. "I have barely started with the class and you're eagerly sharing whatever unnecessary tidbits to each other. Please save it for after the class." He gave one more frown at the girls then returned to discussing the notes he had just written down on the blackboard.

"Later," Kim mouthed to Tai who simply nodded her head in agreement. For the rest of the period, Kim diligently listened to the lecture and took down notes. Occasionally, she glanced out of the windows to check if her protector was there. It took her a few times until she finally spotted her disguised lover. The leafy cover of the trees lining the road blocked most of her view of Shego, who was most likely seated against one tree trunk. As the wind momentarily displaced the leafy branches, Kim was able to see that Shego was dressed in her usual disguise of black racing suit, high-collared leather jacket, shades and her skin tone color-changing patch. Shego was a dedicated protector and a devoted lover… well, that was how Kim saw it. Other people may see it differently. They probably would have seen a greedy villainess defecting to the other side just for money and a former hero and role model who turned out to be a lesbian corrupting the image of the most renowned heroine of the present.

By the time the professor called a halt to their lecture, Shego had disappeared from her spot underneath the shade of the trees. She was obviously scouting for her next position at the next building Kim's following class would be held at. Kim and Tai bid their professor and their acquaintances in the class goodbye then headed out into the crisp outdoors.

"So what were you going to say awhile ago?" Kim asked her friend, stuffing her hands into the front pockets of her sleeveless hoodie shirt.

Tai blinked her amber orbs at Kim then grinned, somewhat making the teen heroine feel nervous. "I was going to say that you've been blooming."

Kim furrowed her eyebrows at the comment. "Blooming? What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The love life is apparently agreeing with you," Tai explained with a wicked smile. "Your skin has a healthy glow and rosy in color." When Kim continued to gawk at her, Tai let out a long sigh and moved her lips close to Kim's ear. "Having a sex life supposedly wields such results," she whispered so that Kim wouldn't get embarrassed.

"W-W-What?" Kim stuttered, instantly turning red.

Tai laughed and wrapped a friendly arm around the slightly taller girl's shoulders. "Having a sex life does have its upside aside from providing you sexual satisfaction and pleasure," she patiently informed her. "From what I know, it's a good form of exercise."

"I do have to wonder how you know so much about this," Kim muttered as they walked down the path and dodged oncoming students.

Tai shrugged. "Excellent sex education program that my parents made me go through back in high school," she said, not at all embarrassed by her admission. "They were traditional parents in terms of love and relationship, but not so much that they were confident enough to educate me themselves in those sensitive matters. They figured that if they wanted to avoid a situation where I get pregnant at such a young age, making me go to a sex education program would be the best thing to prevent it."

"Really?" Kim was genuinely surprised. "Well, my mother did all the _educating_ in my case. Once I was old enough to understand kissing and the possible things that it may lead to, she took me aside and gave me a thorough education in a medical perspective."

"Ouch," Tai let out, feeling sorry for her friend. "I feel for you," she said.

"Thanks. The details my mom went into were quite overwhelming for a thirteen-year-old girl."

"So how often have you been going at _it _with Shego?" Tai asked.

"T-Tai! Why do you have to be so direct with your questions?" Kim demanded, pressing her hands against her got face. What made her feel all the more embarrassed were the people who noticed her obvious embarrassment.

"If I beat around the bush, you might not end up getting the point," Tai explained. "Especially with these types of questions, it would take you forever to understand if I wasn't direct with you." She withstood the playful punches of Kim. She was about to retaliate when she spotted a small group of people staring at the stairs leading up to the entranceway of the next building. "Wonder what's up?"

Kim shrugged. "Maybe they're just hanging around?" she guessed. Her jade-green eyes widened upon realizing who the people were looking at. "It's Shego!" she whispered to the football player.

"So?"

The teen heroine shook her head and pulled Tai closer to her. "Something's up," she said in a whisper. "If we're in public and she's on duty, she doesn't willingly expose herself to people. She prefers to stay hidden to keep her identity and reputation safe."

"Maybe she's tired of staying hidden?" Tai suggested jokingly, but followed Kim anyway.

Kim hesitated when she finally stood before her disguised lover. Many of their audience carefully looked at the appearance of the shady-looking woman before them, but visibly relaxed when they saw Kim approach. "What is it?" she asked, trying to keep a normal tone in her voice.

"I have to leave," Shego answered, the collar of her leather jacket somewhat muffling her distinctive voice.

Jade-green eyes widened in surprise then in worry. "Why?"

"The director wants to see me," Shego replied, pushing her shades up the bridge of her nose to fully hide her eyes. "What she wants to see me about," she shrugged. "I have no idea, but I know better than to keep her waiting." She jerked her head at a group of Global Justice agents loitering nearby. "She sent them to keep an eye on you while I'm gone."

"How long will you be gone?" Kim asked, trying not to sound worried.

"An hour or so," the older woman replied. "Stop your worrying and get to class. I'll be back before you know it." Shego stepped forward and gently ruffled Kim's long auburn hair then mounted her motorcycle and drove off.

"-her bodyguard," an indistinct woman murmured from the crowd.

"Looks really shady," another person remarked. "It just doesn't look right even if her life really is in danger."

"Some people just can't stop gossiping," Tai announced, glaring at the gossiping crowd. "Come on Kim." She took hold of her friend's hand and pulled her up the stairs. "We have a class to attend."

"I guess it's starting," Kim said softly when they were both seated.

"What's starting?"

"The rumors," Kim said, wringing her hands. "It wasn't as bad when Balken first made an attempt on my life, but after the mishap in that radio tower in Chicago and having a mysterious and rather suspicious character as my bodyguard," she paused and shook her head. "I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but it does hurt you know."

Tai sighed. "Kim, you're just a girl. You're not perfect," she advised the redhead. "You may be a hero, but you're not a superhero who can practically fight off everything thrown at her. It's alright to feel hurt about these rumors, but it is a good idea to not let it ruin your life." The football player gave Kim a reassuring smile. "As long as you have your bodyguard, then I'm sure things will turn out alright," she said in the barest of whispers.

A soft smile formed on Kim's face as she mouthed "thank you" to her friend. There was nothing else to talk about between them so they paid attention to their professor. Their professor was in the process of giving them their homework before ending the class when the familiar beeping of the redhead's kimmunicator filled the air. "Sorry," she quickly offered an apology to her professor then headed out of the room. "What's the sitch?"

"_Break-in at the Go City National Museum," _Wade reported. _"A priceless artifact dating to two thousand years ago was stolen." _He flashed a picture of the said artifact on the screen of the Kimmunicator. _"It was just recently added to the museum's collection and aside from a few sketchy historical data collected about it, for now it's considered as just an ancient artifact."_

"Okay…" Kim slowly replied, not at all sure how she was supposed to go about this mission. "Who stole it then?"

"_That's our only clue,"_ Wade informed her. _"Security cameras in the museum caught a number of black-cloaked monkeys running around." _

Kim released a sigh. It was simple enough to figure out who had stolen the said artifact. "Monkey Fist," she guessed, already quite sure of herself. "He's the only other villain I can think of who'd rob a museum of an artifact that has little or no value in it. What makes me wonder is how he was able to escape his stone prison." Checking her outfit, she determined that her pair of jeans and her sleeveless hoodie shirt would hopefully be enough to go through the mission. "Do you know where he's headed and I need some gear." She poked her head back inside the classroom and quickly explained to her professor that she was being called out on a mission.

"_The Global Justice agents keeping an eye on you should have your gear," _Wade replied. _"I sent over your grappling gun, the laser lipstick, a couple of flash bombs and a new gadget I just developed!" _

"A new gadget?" Kim asked, quickly making her way down the building and outside.

"_Well, they're sort of like those power-dampening gloves Shego has,"_ Wade explained. "_They're like normal gloves, lightweight and stuff, but I specifically designed it for defensive purposes. You prefer hand-to-hand combat so I figured that I should help even out the odds when you're up against villains who fight with weapons."_

"That's nice of you Wade," Kim remarked, running over to the group of agents waiting for her and taking the equipment Wade had sent to her. "So what do the gloves do?" She first put on a utility belt then proceeded to fasten the grappling gun on it then tuck the laser lipstick and flash bombs in the pouches.

"_The gloves are made out of a high-tech and extremely durable material that was just recently developed by the military. It's purported to be five times better than Kevlar! Anyhow, with practice, you could learn to deflect bullets and other handheld weapons without injuring yourself. I still have to test if it could hold up against lasers and other similar energy projectiles." _

"Thanks Wade," Kim gratefully thanked the young genius before tucking the gloves into her belt. Perhaps she would find use for it later on when she bumps into Monkey Fist. "So have you figured out where he is yet?"

"_Just picked up the signal." _He flashed a map of Go City and pointed at the blinking red spots. _"Monkey Fist and his monkey henchmen look like they're heading to this park in the business district. As to why he's heading to that place, I can't really say I have a sure idea. My guess is that it's their pick-up point to escape." _

"Possibly," Kim agreed. "In any case, the business district is just a couple of blocks away from here. I'll get there as soon as I can."

"_The agents will take you there and I've also sent a message to Shego about your whereabouts. She's apparently still in a meeting with the director and cannot be disturbed or interrupted." _

"She'll follow anyway," Kim said, following the agents to their cars and hopping inside one of them. "She'll either get there while I'm still fighting Monkey Fist or she'll get there when everything is done with. I'll call if I need anything else." To the agent at the wheel, she said, "The park at the business district and fast!"

Three minutes later, their vehicle swerved in front of the entrance of the small park. "Stay here," Kim ordered, taking a step towards the entrance then suddenly flipping backward and over the car as shurikens flew at her. "What a nice welcome," Kim muttered as she and the agents took shelter behind their cars as more shurikens embedded themselves into their vehicles. "Distract them. I'll find another way in!" The redhead crept around the cars and headed to the high brick wall that surrounded the park. Deftly jumping, she grabbed hold of the ledge, pulled herself up and jumped down on the lawn. As expected, Monkey Fist's ninja monkeys were hurling the many-pointed projectiles.

Stealthily making her way around the preoccupied monkeys, Kim alternated hiding behind trees and crouching behind stone benches that littered the park's vicinity. She was a few yards away from the medium-sized fountain of the park when she heard the familiar British-accented voice of the noble turned genetically-mutated villain. Peering around the tree she used for cover, it was indeed Monkey Fist casually sitting by the lip of the fountain with the stolen artifact in his hands. Seeing that he was alone, Kim strode out of her hiding place. "I'm impressed that you were able to escape from your stone prison after you kidnapping attempt on Hana," she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It was only a matter of time, Kim Possible," Monkey Fist replied, clutching the artifact with both his hands. "I was lucky that the rocks didn't crush the life out of me."

Kim sighed. "So why did you steal that artifact?" She looked relaxed, but she had readied her body to spring into action just in case the villain tries anything.

"To put it simply, it's for upgrade purposes."

"Upgrade purposes?" Kim repeated, not at all sure how such a small artifact could help the former noble.

Monkey Fist nodded and even showed the teen heroine the artifact he held in his hand. It was only then that Kim noticed that the said item was steadily emitting a yellow glow. "After escaping, I buried myself in my research, to seek for a way to become stronger and achieve my goals," he began. "It was by the luck that I came across the information that there was an artifact that acted as counterpart to the monkey idols. Bringing the artifact to the stated altar and breaking it would imbue the holder, who has inherited the mystical monkey power, with another power."

"You've always been the bookish type," Kim said, her knees suddenly bending as she prepared to lunge forward and snatch the artifact away from her opponent.

"You're too late, Kim Possible!" With a evil smile, the villain hurled the artifact to the ground, watching in fascination as the item seemingly shattered into pieces before disintegrating completely. The steady yellow glow transferred to the body of Monkey Fist who began to glow himself. After a few seconds, the glow subsided and the dark-haired man clapped his hands together. "Now then, how about a demonstration of my new powers?" Holding one hand out, there was a flash of light and suddenly that same hand now held three kunais.

Kim goggled at the spectacle. "W-What?"

"The power I just received enables me to create weapons such as these to aid me in whatever battle I am in," Monkey Fist explained. "Swords, staff, spear, whatever weapon related to the martial arts are practically available to me at my beck and call!" He hurled the kunais at the still shocked Kim who managed to evade the projectiles at the last moment by diving behind the cover of a nearby tree. "Come now! That was only an introduction!"

The teen heroine was breathing heavily as she quickly tried to come up with a plan to take down the empowered villain. Dealing with a skilled Monkey Fist in terms of hand-to-hand combat could be dealt with, but dealing with a Monkey Fist skilled in both hand-to-hand combat and armed combat was a completely different matter. What made things worse for her was that her opponent could now create weapons in thin air without so much of an effort. Her best chances of defeating him would be to knock him out cold. Darting away from behind the tree, she grabbed one of the flash bombs in her pouch, shielded her eyes and lobbed it at Monkey Fist. As the area burst into bright light and blinding anyone caught in the non-lethal explosion. Even as the light dissipated, Kim sprinted towards the monkey-obsessed villain, left her feet and aimed a sure knockout kick at where she thought Monkey Fist's head was. Instead of connecting with his head, Kim's foot connected with a long and narrow shaft. In those few seconds where she was seemingly suspended in midair, she realized that her kick had been blocked by the shaft of a spear weapon resembling a glaive. Using the small purchase she had on the spear shaft, Kim flipped back and defensive raised her fists in front of her chest.

"A good tactic, but it would have never have worked," Monkey Fist remarked. "You are not going to defeat me this time, Kim Possible." He lunged forward, quickly stabbing the spear at Kim's torso. When the redhead flipped back once again to evade his attack, he quickly brought back the weapon to his body then swung it at Kim's legs once she landed, knocking her onto her back. With a yell, he jumped and attempted to end the teen heroine's life with a direct thrust to her heart, but was unsuccessful when his opponent rolled away at the last second. Dislodging the long blade of his spear from the ground, he allowed the pesky girl to get back on her feet. He didn't even think when the girl calmly took out a pair of gloves and pulled them onto her hands. "I don't suppose you could make things easier for me by allowing me to get rid of you once and for all? No? So be it!" This time, he lunged forward with the spear raised above his head. Viciously, he chopped downward, the air whistling around them as Kim once again dodged the attack. Monkey Fist repeated the same move and could not contain his mild surprise when the redhead caught the downward strike of his spear with her gloved hands. "Interesting, but I hardly think that it will change the flow of this battle!" He yanked the spear away and kicked at Kim's legs, making her fall once more on her back.

Grunting hard after the fall knocked the breath out of her lungs, Kim slapped her hands together as the spear blade thrust towards her throat and kept it from making a bloody mess of her. She struggled to keep the sharp blade pinned between her hands, but Monkey Fist was easily overpowering her especially in their current position. The tip of the blade shakily inched towards her throat as Kim began to sweat in her effort to keep the blade away and from fear. "This is an unfair fight," Kim muttered, remembering that it had always been easier to deal with Monkey Fist when he still relied on his fists.

"All is fair in love and war," Monkey Fist quoted. "Now give up!" He was about to put his whole weight on his spear and plunge the spear's blade into Kim's throat when he was suddenly knocked back by a blur of black. He flipped back onto his feet and glared at the new opponent. "Now this is what I call unfair," he remarked, scowling at the unknown woman fully clothed in black and kept her face hidden with the high collar of the leather jacket she wore and the dark tinted shades covering her eyes.

"It's not unfair since you can materialize weapons without so much of a thought!" Kim retorted as she got back to her feet and eased herself into a fighting stance. "Besides, you don't really have a choice. These days, she's always nearby to help me out," Kim explained, jerking her head at the disguised Shego who was already making her way towards Monkey Fist. When Shego suddenly darted to the left, Kim followed suit but went right instead. Hopefully, trapping Monkey Fist between the two of them would grant them a better chance of knocking him out, but before any of them could land a punch or kick, the dark-haired villain hurled his spear at Shego who knocked it away with her arm. Frowning hard, Monkey Fist materialized twin katana swords in both his hands and immediately drove the flat of one blade into Kim's side, knocking her away.

While Kim gasped for air, Shego kept toe-to-toe with Monkey Fist, evading his sword attacks and landing a few punches on the unprotected areas of the other man's body. It was one of those moments when Shego frequently wished that she wasn't doing undercover work so that she could make full use of her powers. With her powers, she would have easily been able to dispose of Monkey Fist, but she didn't want to risk blowing her cover. Quickly reaching for her Beretta gun that was holstered against her leg, Shego fired a barrage of bullets at her former comrade. She cursed silently when Monkey Fist deflected the bullets with his twin blades.

Lightning quick, Monkey Fist hurled one of his blades at the black-clothed woman, not really aiming for her body, but for the gun in her hand. As his blade knocked the gun out of Shego's hand, he lunged forward, gripping his remaining blade with both hands. Before he could slash his blade, a shot sounded several feet away from them and a vice-like mechanism gripped his arm, preventing him from following through his attack.

The rope of Kim's grappling hook grew taut, as she pulled hard on it to keep Monkey Fist from injuring her lover. "Now!" Kim shouted, signaling for Shego to knock Monkey Fist out while he was distracted. She watched as Shego drove her fist into their opponent's jaw, his head getting knocked askew from the force of the punch. His body flew a few feet backwards and slammed into the low wall of the fountain. Kim strode towards the barely conscious Monkey Fist as Shego approached, poised to deliver the final blow. "Give up Monkey Fist. It's over." She kicked his remaining sword away and turned away momentarily to deal with the monkey ninjas who rushed to their master's aid.

Sloe-black eyes suddenly flashed angrily. Shego had barely blinked when another sword materialized in Monkey Fist's hand. She jerked her body aside as the blade thrust towards her throat, ripping through the collar of her jacket and biting deep into skin at the side of her neck. The villainess bit back a cry of pain as she unleashed a roundhouse kick and knocked the sword out of Monkey Fist's hand then dropped a full-powered axe kick, her booted heel connecting with the top of her opponent's head. It was only then that Monkey Fist's body slumped onto the ground, unconscious. Taking a deep breath, Shego raised a hand to prod the side of her neck. The collar of her leather jacket was already in the process of knitting itself back together, but from the wetness she felt, she knew that Monkey Fist had caused a deep enough gash to make her bleed profusely. Gritting her teeth, the villainess unzipped her jacket and peeled her jacket off, albeit rather painfully since the material clung to the gash on her neck.

"Are you alright?!" Kim ran to her lover after seeing blood steadily drip down Shego's arm and onto the ground. "Oh my god! Your skin!"

"Relax," Shego ordered her panicked lover. "Regenerative powers, remember?" She pressed her hand against the gash and willed herself to forget the pain. "It'll stop bleeding soon," she assured the redhead who still looked panicked. "What?" she demanded.

"He must have hit your skin-tone changing patch," Kim let out. "You're back to your usual green color, Shego," she informed her, taking Shego's jacket and slinging it over her arm.

Shego swore and quickly peeled of one of her gloves to see if Kim was right. Indeed, the skin on her exposed hand was back to the trademark pale green she was known for. "I was in a hurry a while ago so I put the patch on the side of my neck then just zipped my jacket up," she muttered, wincing in pain. She pulled her shades off with her free hand and used her arm to swipe at her sweaty forehead. "It's alright. No one's around any-" Her emerald green eyes caught the familiar flash of a camera. "Who the hell-" she shouted and froze as the suited stranger continued to take shots of her and Kim.

"My suspicions were right," the man announced, quickly removing the memory card from his camera and connecting it to his PDA. "This will make headlines! 'Infamous villainess defected once again!'" He furiously typed away on his PDA even as Shego thundered towards him with a murderous look on her face. "You're too late!" he managed to let out before Shego grabbed hold of his neck and raised him off the ground.

"Damn asshole! You've been tailing us for quite some time now!" Shego growled at the unknown man.

"You noticed it too?" Kim demanded.

Shego raised a surprised eyebrow at her girlfriend. "What? You got that feeling too that someone was following us ever since we arrived in at the Middleton Airport?" Effortlessly, she held the man up in the air by his throat as she conversed with Kim. Already, she could feel the gash on her neck healing.

Kim nodded. "I thought that I was just being paranoid," she explained with a frown. "Ummm… Shego, you're going to kill him," she told her lover, pointing to the hanging man who was turning into a deep shade of blue.

"I _should _kill him," Shego remarked angrily. She held him in the air for a few more seconds then furiously threw him into a nearby tree. "Damn it! He probably put those photos up on the internet!" Cursing loudly and unashamedly, Shego took her jacket back from Kim and shrugged it on. "We have to get back to my apartment," she muttered, prodding the half-healed gash on the side of her neck then fully zipping her jacket up. She grabbed hold of Kim's arm and pulled her towards one of the park exits where her Ducati bike was parked. Setting the shades back on the bridge of her nose, Shego pulled Kim behind her on her bike and wasted no time in starting the engines and gunning the gas. They were safe at their home in less than five minutes.

"Damn reporter!" Shego shouted into the air, trying not flinch as she allowed Kim to check her neck. "This is so fucked up!" She slammed her fist into the couch she sat on.

"Language Shego!" Kim scolded her lover, taking her hands away from Shego's neck once she was satisfied that the gash was healed. "Don't worry too much about it!"

"Am I hearing you right?" Shego demanded. "I shouldn't worry? Princess, my identity and reputation is at stake!" Her emerald green eyes bore into Kim's jade-green eyes. "_Your _reputation is at stake as well! Do you think people will take it lightly that an infamous villainess highly sought after by the authorities is protecting you?"

"Shego-"

"Things might even get worse from here for you!"

"How?"

"Sooner or later, people will figure out that we're living in the same place. Nothing can be done to stop people from gossiping and making rumors. Give or take two days, there'll be rumors spreading that you and I are an item!" Shego pressed the base of her palm against her fiercely aching head. "I can handle the rumors and the gossip if it does turn out that way," she murmured. "But will you be able to handle it?"

"I-I don't know…"

Shego sighed. "They might even find out enough that Global Justice had to pay me and offer me temporary immunity from the authorities to accept this job." She shook her head and leaned back into her leather couch. "We're in deep shit."

"_I'd use stronger words,"_ Director Betty's voice sounded from the large screen hanging against the wall of Shego's living room. _"Word travels fast," _she grimly told the two women before her as her face flashed onto the screen. _"I have agents patrolling your area and making sure that your apartment remains hidden to the public. Unfortunately, Wade relayed me the news that the photos are indeed spreading around like wildfire on the internet."_

Shego cursed some more while Kim frowned hard at the news. "What's happening then?" Kim asked.

The director furrowed her eyebrows. _"Right now, I'm receiving hundreds of calls, demanding that we hold a press conference to explain ourselves. My officers have uncovered a rat in the organization who leaked out the information regarding the terms of payment we agreed upon with Shego." _Betty shook her head and released a tired sigh. _"We're truly in a problematic situation. Rest assured, I'll try my best to smoothen things out. Consider yourselves lucky that your relationship has yet to emerge to the public." _She gave both women one last look. _"Stay indoors until I contact you again." _

"Worst case scenario, I'll be sent to jail and Global Justice will be court-martialed for dealing with me," Shego muttered, pulling off her hair tie and shaking out her long raven-black hair. "Hand me the remote." She continued to scowl as she switched on the television and surfed the news channels.

"_Breaking news! An anonymous person has submitted controversial photos of the purported protector of the famous Kim Possible! Her identity revealed in just a few moments!"_

Furious, Shego hurled the remote control to the other side of the room and began to curse in whatever language she knew, while Kim grimly continued to watch the news.


	20. Complications

_Chapter 20: "Complications"_

The largest conference room in the headquarters of Global Justice could seat more or less thee hundred people. For this tumultuous occasion, there were a hundred more than usual, all equally demanding and angered as the rest of the people within the room. Two weeks after news had gotten out that Global Justice had made a controversial deal with the villainess Shego, Betty was finally forced to hold a press conference to explain their actions and also update the public about their fight against Balken Steel. Things weren't going too well apparently. Not only was the public in an uproar over the dangerous activities of the said at large criminal, they were also deeply angered that the most trusted crime fighting organization was not so trustworthy after all. As the director of Global Justice, Betty had to face and deal with these problems, but she had to admit that this was certainly giving her the worst migraine since she created the organization.

Cameras flashed and worsened her headache as she waited for the media to set up. She just wanted to get this over with. The whole mess revolving around Shego was just small fry compared to the gravity of the bigger picture of Balken Steel. Her reconnaissance team was working round the clock trying to locate the whereabouts of the cyborg and predict his next move. Progress was excruciatingly slow unfortunately. Balken Steel was quite the adept in hiding and concealing his plans. The only thing Betty was sure of was that the cyborg's plans were just going to get bigger, more elaborate and deadlier. They managed to limit the casualties in the radio tower incident, but it was a distinct future that more innocent people were going to die if they didn't apprehend Balken Steel soon.

Finally, a lithe and bespectacled man with graying brown hair nodded to her from his position next to the podium. At first sight, the plain looking man appeared to hold an unimportant position in the organization. In reality, he was the most trusted advisor of Betty and was her right-hand man. Greg Langston always looked unassuming be it at work or outside of it. This time around, he looked troubled as he beckoned for his boss to take to the podium and address the audience of government officials, military representatives, law enforcers and the media. Like Betty, none of them seemed particularly happy with the situation.

Clearing her throat, she spoke into the microphone in a strong and firm voice. "Good afternoon. As you have requested," she began. "We're here to answer some pressing questions."

"You mean _you're _here to answer to your crimes!" one government official angrily barked from his seat.

Betty stopped herself from sighing, knowing that it would just incite the man's anger. "You assume too quickly, sir," she calmly told the statesman. She and the rest of the audience knew that this man was one of the leaders of the conservative faction. "You should know better than to expect instant solutions and results."

"Perhaps it was right for me to expect that leaving this matter in your hands would prove to be fruitless," the man retorted, eyes blazing in anger. "The so-called greatest anti-crime organization can't even solve the puzzle of a mad cyborg! There's also the matter of how you've been making use of the funding allotted to your organization."

This time, a high-ranking military official stood up and voiced his complaints. "I suppose your motive of recruiting Kim Possible influenced your decision, but there were other ways to achieve that," he said, ignoring the bright flashes coming from the cameras aimed at his imposing figure. "Hiring an infamous criminal with an extensive criminal record was certainly not the right one," he said pointedly.

"General Weiss, you are implying that we did not weigh the possible solutions present to us at that time when Balken Steel made his first appearance," Betty replied evenly. Now was not the time for her to lose her temper. "I cannot deny that we do wish for Kim Possible to eventually join our ranks. She will be a great asset if that time comes. Other than that, most know that aside from my organization's efforts to battle crime, Kim Possible has met a lot of success in doing similar activities." She seriously looked at her audience. "If we had not taken precautions, Kim Possible would have most likely died in her first meeting with the cyborg."

"And _you_ are implying that without Kim Possible, our society would be in worse condition when it comes to dealing with crime," General Weiss scoffed, glaring hard at the woman.

Betty returned the glare with an even stare. "I believe that there is truth to my words," she informed him and the rest of the audience. "Not unless, you all believe that the recent world threatening events were not solved with the help of Kim Possible."

"Threaten us all you like director!" the conservative leader snarled. "There is already a long list of charges held against you and your organization." He smirked and nodded his head at his cronies. "Shall I name them? There's bribery, misuse of government funding, overstepping the limits of your power by making ill decisions-"

"Senator Hartmann, we've been aware of these charges for quite some time now," Betty interrupted, ignoring the angry look on the man's face. She shrugged her shoulders. It was the truth anyway. Betty knew from the beginning that there were risks such as the ones presented to her when she made the decision to hire Shego to protect Kim Possible. "I don't think it would be in your best interests to imprison Shego and let Kim Possible fend for herself against Balken Steel."

General Weiss let out a huff. "Such affairs are not suited for a girl," he said. "There are others particularly in the military who are more suited to the job of dealing with this cyborg. They are certainly more experienced and are hardened veterans."

"Then why is it that all your so-hardened veterans have never seemed to be able to keep in step with Balken?" Betty asked, her only eye staring hard into the face of the general. "I recall reading reports that the few times your men were engaged in combat with the cyborg, they were either beaten soundly, completely wiped out or just left in the dust." She raised her hand to stop the senator from interrupting. "Miss Possible and Shego have had far better success compared to you and your so-called men."

"You lost your power to make decisions when official news of your crimes came out," the senator angrily said. "I would suggest that you and your organization pull out of the operations revolving around the cyborg and leave the rest to us. Of course, you still have to deal with the charges pressed on you."

Betty frowned. "Press charges then," she told them. "I have charges of my own to press once I gather enough information."

The smug smiles on both men's faces disappeared. "Empty threats won't help your case," Hartmann told the formidable woman.

"I would never make an empty threat," Betty calmly replied, beckoning at Greg who handed her a folder. "Thanks to Miss Possible, we were able to get a number of damning statements from Balken Steel." She flipped the folder open and pulled out the documents. "Of course, we had to look into his claims." She held the papers up for the men and the audience to see. "Shall I tell you or would you prefer that we discuss this in another meeting?"

"Go ahead and discuss it!" Hartmann banged his fist on the table. "Whatever it is in that folder should hardly put a dent on our plans."

Betty shrugged. "Very well then," she agreed. "Our investigators took a deeper look into the activities of MCO or Medicinal Cybernetics Organization." She looked up from the documents. "That would be the former employer of Balken Steel who was still known as Dr. Balken Wainwright."

"Anything that has to do with the cyborg is as mad is he is thus would be useless to discuss in this meeting," Hartmann barked, his eyes wild with anger.

"It's not exactly the cyborg or MCO we're going to be talking about," Betty said icily, she nodded at Greg who pointed a small remote control at the large screen in front of the room. The images of checks appeared on screen.

"I don't see the point of showing us these financial statements when it's clear that you've been misusing your funds, director," Hartmann sneered.

Betty shook her head. "If you care to look closely senator, these are checks that we've recovered from the bank."

"And so?"

Betty pointed at the name on the upper left corner of the check. "Does that name ring a bell?"

Hartmann laughed. "No, and why should it concern any of us?"

"You are a terribly slow man for a politician," Betty remarked then continued her speech before the senator could burst. "Geoffrey Douglas was and still is the president of MCO. As you can see from the checks enlarged on the screen, he has written checks in varying amounts not less than a hundred thousand dollars."

"I still don't see the point."

"To put it as simply as possible senator, we've traced the accounts where these checks have been deposited," Betty replied. "You could see that Mr. Douglas was cautious enough to utilize the pay to cash method. It was suspicious enough for us to investigate since so many large amount checks were issued in the same way." She eyed the senator and noticed that beads of sweat were forming on his face. "It took us forever to get clearance, but we've found out where all that money came from and to whom it went." She nodded again to Greg who presented the next set of images. "As you can see in these bank statements of MCO, it summarizes the main activity of the sale of a certain Dr. Wainwright's Silver Lifeblood. Just to remind our audience, MCO deemed that Dr. Wainwright's invention became rightfully theirs when the said doctor was arrested on the charges of embezzlement of the organization's funds."

"So they stole the invention and sold it. You should be making a case against them," Hartmann muttered.

"I can't help but wonder why you're being defensive senator," Betty mused. "In any case, MCO does hold part of the fault of this mad cyborg business. They've wrongfully taken the invention of one of their own and sold it for profit. It's now clear that the profit was shared by other persons."

"And _who _are these persons?" General Weiss asked.

Betty took a moment to flip through the documents in her hands. "We've gathered four names. A certain Jonathan Myers received two hundred-thirty thousand dollars."

"Unimportant," Hartmann claimed.

"There's also a certain Paul Watson who received exactly three hundred thousand dollars."

"I still don't see any connection."

Betty smiled. "And a certain account under the alias Henry Clarks. Among the checks we managed to acquire, his had the largest issued amount."

"What kind of amount is this?" Weiss questioned.

Again, Betty referred to her documents. "Seven hundred thousand dollars," she promptly answered.

Hartmann noisily tapped his fingers against the table. "You still haven't made any connection to the larger problem at hand."

"One shouldn't rush his or her explanations," Betty advised, ignoring the reproachful glare she got as a reply from the senator. "John Myers is a powerful businessman and leads one of the largest conglomerates in the country. It was only in the recent years that he showed interest in the medical field particularly that of Medicinal Cybernetics." She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to address her audience. "Paul Watson is apparently the owner and president of the bank Mr. Douglas and his organization used."

"File your damn cases against them woman!" Hartman huffed. "It will hardly help you in your current situation."

Betty furrowed her brows and glanced at the high ranking military man. Earlier he was smug and arrogant, but now he had a look of worry and suspicion on his face. "This Henry Clarks was by far the most difficult to track down. As I reported earlier, this is merely an alias. At first, we could only trace the name to a dead man, but upon further investigation, we were able to link this supposed man to you senator."

"Preposterous!" Hartman shouted. "You have no proof!"

"Well according to your genealogy, there was a Henry Clarks related to you. If I'm correct, he's your great-great uncle who also happened to be a politician at his time."

"Pure coincidence! You're obviously trying to establish a connection between MCO's mistakes and me! Yap all you like, but I will deny all your allegations!"

Betty grimly smiled and went to her trump card. "We managed to… persuade the bank to give us this Henry Clark's billing information and certain bank and credit card statements. The address of 54th Terabella Way, Fuego Park in Florida and a certain Rolls Royce Phantom sealed things for us. That Florida mansion is one of the several properties purchased and owned by you Senator Hartmann."

The elderly man blanched at first then turned into a dark plum color. "Y-You dare-"

"The said luxury car purchased with credit is also in your name," Betty brutally interrupted. "Need I go on to establish your so-called useless connection?"

Hartmann clenched his lips shut and got to his feet. He tried to make his way out of the room, but was stopped by security. "Let me out!" he shouted, trying to push his way through the burly men of Global Justice.

"I'm afraid we cannot do that," Betty replied. "At least not until we come to an agreement." She locked eyes with General Weiss.

The weary soldier pressed a hand against his aching head. "What do you want, director?"

"You will cease all plans or actions of taking Shego into custody and allow her to work with Kim Possible in apprehending Balken Steel." Betty jerked her head at the still plum-colored senator. "As much as we'd like to deal out justice to Senator Hartmann, his cronies and MCO, we'd rather have the federal courts take over while we focus on more important matters."

"You ask too much," Weiss pointed out.

"We ask for what is necessary. We could keep talking this out, which might last days or even weeks while our cyborg may strike again," Betty replied.

Weiss frowned and began to pace along the aisle. He kept doing this for a few minutes, muttering noiselessly to himself. Finally, he stopped and evenly gazed at Betty. "I shall inform the higher-ups about this, but you have our agreement and support," he reluctantly said.

Betty allowed herself to smile. "Very good. I hope our joint efforts will bring Balken Steel down."

* * *

It was a few days later when Betty personally gave the outcome of the meeting to Shego and Kim Possible. One look at the pair told her that they had suffered through a lot ever since Shego's identity was given away. Thanks to the modern marvel of the internet, the news had spread fast and the pair was experiencing much criticism and backlash. "The authorities shouldn't be able to meddle with our affairs," Betty told the bodyguard and charge who had hard faces. The director sighed. "I know this is difficult for the both of you with all the things people are saying, but you now have a duty to fulfill. Balken Steel must be stopped before more lives are lost."

"We know director," Kim wearily replied, which prompted the director to order her to sit on one of the chairs in her office. "Right now, there isn't much Shego and I can do without any leads on Balken Steel."

"The only time we get to tussle with him is when he shows up," Shego pointed out with disdain. "And he's managed to escape in all those encounters. We need a way to subdue him, a sure way to do it." As usual, the villainess was dressed in her black racing suit minus the shades and the skin tone changing patch. She did away with most of the disguise since people knew who she was after that incident with Monkey Fist.

"As of now, there is no certainty with the meager results we're getting from our reconnaissance team," Betty admitted, leaning against the edge of her table. "The medical and tech teams are working hard to find a way to destroy or extract the Silver Lifeblood in recipients without harming their lives, but it's been so far unsuccessful."

"Every time we manage to get around a corner, we run into a dead end," Kim said, trying her best not to complain. It was frustrating that they were hardly progressing, more so that aside from trying to stop Balken Steel from causing more trouble, Kim had to watch out for her own life. At least she had Shego as a safety. "At least the courts are getting somewhere," she bitterly mused. She had seen on the news that the federal courts were preparing for the trial of the decade indicting Senator Hartmann, several of his cronies and MCO of profiteering.

"I'd say things will look up, but with what's happening now, it's hard to be an optimist," Betty remarked, looking over at Shego. "Balken Steel's main motive was to tarnish the name of MCO. That's been done, but it seems that he's not going to stop any time soon. He's also still intent on getting rid of Kim. Having said that, I want you to stay with Kim at all times," she told Shego. "If Balken Steel shows up, the two of you together will have a better chance of facing him head-on."

"We've barely survived those times we faced him head-on," Shego muttered.

Betty sighed. "Kim, it might be for the best if you take a leave of absence from university," she suggested.

"What? But why?"

"Aside from all ceaseless chatter of people getting on your nerves, we have to take into consideration that the people around you may get hurt if the cyborg makes an appearance," the director explained. "It's safer this way… safer for you and for the people. Shego and you won't have to compromise each other's welfare if the other people factor is taken away."

"Home schooling for you then, pumpkin," Shego mused, poking her charge in the ribs for some fun. Unfortunately, Kim didn't see it as fun and merely glared at her protector. The villainess forced herself to not loudly sigh. She understood that Kim was under a lot of pressure, but she was trying to do something to lighten her up a bit. "Anything else that we need to know?"

Betty shook her head. "That's it for now," she replied. "I'll be sure to contact one of you if something useful comes up." She gestured for them to take their leave.

Shego led the way out of the office and into an elevator that would bring them to the underground parking lot of Global Justice headquarters. She would have started a conversation, but Kim didn't look like she was up to talking. The redhead's tight lips and furrowed eyebrows gave Shego warning enough to not try her luck. The elevator door slid open and they walked out into the parking lot. Taking the keys from her pocket, Shego pressed the unlock button as they made their way to a Porsche Boxter S Black edition car.

Kim finally decided to break the silence. "I still don't understand why we have to take _your_ car," she muttered, opening the passenger side door and slipping inside.

Shego sighed as she got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "I thought you'd understand without me explaining it to you explicitly." She saw her lover frown hard. As gently as she could, she explained, "Look, the media and the public are looking all over for us. For _you_ mostly," she amended. "You said so yourself that you don't want too much attention. If we drove around in your car, we'd be drawing attention to ourselves. If we used my motorcycle, which I prefer, we'd be out in the open."

"Since when did you have this car anyway?" Kim huffed. "You never mentioned owning one."

Shego shrugged. "I told you before, most of the things I own are bought with money I earned legitimately."

"Meaning you didn't steal it," Kim flatly said.

"Precisely," Shego replied, stopping herself from taking on a snarky tone. "The apartment we're staying at here in Go City is one of the few abodes that I own. I kept this car in one condominium in Miami. I do need some mode of transportation whenever I'm in the area." She drove them out of the building and wove through the city traffic.

"Where else do you have houses anyway?" Kim asked, feeling slightly curious.

"Aside from the apartment and condominium in Go City and Miami, there's a traditional Japanese house in Atami, Japan, and most recently a penthouse suite close to Knightsbridge, London." She couldn't help but chuckle upon mentioning her latest purchase. "I finally gave in to Enzo and decided to buy off one of his properties he never uses."

"He probably sold it to you dirt cheap," Kim accused, knowing that her lover and Enzo were best friends.

Shego chuckled as they pulled to a stop at an intersection. "Well, he did give me a big discount," she admitted.

"And why do you have a house in Japan?"

"It was a gift," Shego replied.

"From who and why?"

The villainess kept her eyes on the road as she began her explanation. "Back when I was still in the hero business, I was involved in a rescue mission. It was a solo mission since my brothers were elsewhere doing missions of their own. An international terrorist organization kidnapped two siblings, a brother and sister, who were the fourth and fifth in line to the throne. It was a complicated mission. It was hard enough locating the prince and princess then rescuing them, but it was also a pain in the ass getting them to safety." She remembered that for three succeeding nights while they were on the run, they were attacked by the terrorists. "The Imperial Family was grateful when I brought them back to the palace and as a reward they gave me the traditional Japanese house." She shrugged her shoulders. "I never really got the chance to use it though since I'm mostly operating in other countries."

Kim was impressed. "Didn't they claim back the house when you became a villain?"

Shego shook her head. "No. They were honor-bound so they didn't do it although their advisors warned me of committing crimes against the Imperial Family." They finally turned into her street, which was heavily guarded by agents of Global Justice. She also spotted several suspicious persons lurking around who she suspected were photographers and reporters. "Finally home," she sighed as the garage door closed behind them. "You should go ahead and call Go University. I'll go whip us something to eat while you're at it."

Kim nodded and headed up to the bedroom she shared with Shego. It took her more than half an hour of talking to the concerned people from the university, but in the end she got what she wanted. It was a hard decision since the semester wasn't over, but she ended up dropping all her subjects for that semester and taking a leave of absence. She'd be obviously delayed, but she wouldn't have any trouble going back to school… assuming she survived the current mess she was in.

"Kim? I made some sandwiches and brewed some coffee." Shego walked into the room and immediately saw the tense look on her girlfriend's face. "Your face is going to freeze if you keep doing that," she remarked, lightly flicking the younger woman's forehead.

The heroine scowled and slapped Shego's hand away. "It's not! That's just nonsense!" she retorted in annoyance.

Shego scowled as well, feeling her temper flaring. "Don't bite my head off," she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You don't know what kind of pressure I'm going through!" Kim cried out, the dam of emotions finally bursting within her. "People are saying shit about me just because I have a villainess as a bodyguard, I've been placed under lock-and-key because of the threat to my life, I had to leave school _and _that damn cyborg is trying to kill me and kill other people!" She whirled around to face the wall, her shoulders trembling. "It's too much! I know I'm a hero, but I'm not superman! I'm not invincible… physically and emotionally."

Shego bit her lower lip and willed her temper to die down. It would do none of them any good if she got into a fight with Kim. She felt some pressure as well, but it didn't compare to the overwhelming pressure Kim was experiencing. It helped a bit that Shego was indifferent to the things people said about her. "You have to relax, princess," she gently told the younger woman.

"Easy for you to say," Kim muttered.

Shego sighed and walked over to Kim. Gathering her in her arms, she pressed her nose against Kim's luscious red mane of hair. "Seriously, you have to relax. Thinking about it is just going to wear you out," she murmured into Kim's ear. She felt Kim lean back into her chest. "The only thing you have to worry about is that cyborg. Don't even think about the so-called shit people are saying behind your back. They don't know any better and they don't deserve your time, effort and worry." She heard the barest of sniffles from her lover and tightened her hold on Kim. "What do you want me to do? It's easy enough to beat the crap out of those photographers, reporters and gossip columnists."

Kim swiped at her over bright and tearing eyes. "No… you shouldn't do that," she whispered. "You'll just get into more trouble when you're already in a lot of trouble."

"More trouble?" Shego smiled. "I'm a villainess. More trouble doesn't worry me at all."

"But it worries me," Kim retorted. "I don't want you to be taken to prison."

"Isn't it more like you don't want to be separated from me?"

Kim rammed her elbow into Shego's stomach. "You're an egotistical woman!" She whirled around and glared at her protector who was rubbing her pained stomach.

"Hey! I was just being honest!" Shego defended, grinning in spite of herself. "Besides, I feel the same way, princess."

Kim raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

"If I got into enough trouble and got sent to prison, I wouldn't be getting the daily sexy time I have with you," Shego drawled, winking suggestively at Kim who was already blushing furiously. "Speaking of sexy time, I'm afraid we're due for some." She skulked towards the redhead who was stepping back.

"I-I'm not in the right mood for this, Shego!" Kim stuttered, backing away some more.

Shego chuckled. "Since when have you ever been in the mood anyway, princess? In any case, I've always been able to get you _in _the mood." She lunged forward suddenly and wrapped her arms around the younger woman.

"Put me down!" Kim shouted as Shego slung her over her shoulder.

"As you wish." Shego turned towards the bed and threw her onto it. Before Kim could sit up, she got onto the bed and straddled her body, preventing any escape. "I was serious when I told you that you need to relax," she patiently told Kim. "Talking won't make you relax and I don't know any other way to make you stop worrying." She gave the redhead a lusty smile. "Besides, _my _way is more fun."

Kim gulped, but didn't resist when Shego leaned in to ravish her neck with kisses. "You're evil, Shego!"

Shego chuckled into Kim's neck, finding pleasure in the shuddering intakes of breath from Kim. "You're stating the obvious, princess," she murmured, smiling when Kim's wandering hands struggled with the zipper of her racing suit. Kim tended to act reluctant at the start, but she always ended up becoming eager to do the deed. Feeling smug, she couldn't help but tell herself that it was because she made the act of sex highly pleasurable. "I'm going to enjoy this house arrest so much," she muttered, undressing Kim hurriedly.

Kim gasped when Shego's lips latched onto a sensitive spot on her neck. "We _are_ not going to have sex every time you get the urge!" she weakly protested.

"If we do, at least it'll keep your mind occupied and keep you in shape as well," Shego cheerfully replied, pressing her lover down onto the bed as she made her way down Kim's lithe body.

* * *

_One week later…_

* * *

"If it were up to me alone, I'd let someone else handle this," Betty remarked, her eyebrows tensely furrowed. "It's frustrating that I tend to feel so paranoid that this is just a diversion Balken Steel conjured up." She seriously gazed at Kim Possible with her good eye. "I'm not sure myself if this case is of dire importance." She took the report on her table and held it out to the young heroine.

Kim made a face when she saw the surveillance still-shots. "The Seniors?" She grimaced and handed over the report to an equally disdained Shego. "What are they up to this time?"

Betty shrugged. "We're not entirely sure. Our teams have been sending vague reports of their doings." She pulled open one of the drawers of her desk and brought out what looked to be an invitation. "Will Du managed to take this from some elite business tycoon who often consorts with the Seniors."

"A party invitation," Kim confirmed while Shego looked over her shoulder to have a look as well.

"Looks that way," Shego mused, squinting at the card. "It's not unusual especially since Junior is a party animal." She straightened her body and focused her attention on Betty. "Señor Senior allows it because it's supposedly a social networking opportunity for him and Junior."

Betty grimly smiled. "Of course you would know," she replied. "You were employed with the Seniors' for a time so what you say is trustworthy enough."

Kim frowned. "The venue is strange though," she said. "Isn't this a naval port?"

"_Was _a naval port," Betty corrected. "The government converted it to a trading port and cruise ships frequently dock there."

Shego rubbed her chin in thought. "So the party might be on a cruise ship," she guessed, knowing that Señor Senior owned a number of cruise ships.

Betty shook her head. "I've checked with reconnaissance and they've confirmed that none of Senior's ships are docked there. We're stumped in other words." She motioned for Kim to keep the stolen invitation. "Hold on to that, you're going to need it."

"We're infiltrating the party?" Kim asked, feeling a tinge of doubt forming in her head.

The director nodded. "It's the only way we could make sure that the motive of this party is… innocent."

Shego laughed. "Since when have their motives been innocent?"

Betty nodded her head in agreement. "You'll be posing as invited guests of the party. I'll leave it to you to decide on a disguise. Obviously, it'll have to be good enough to fool security and the hosts as well."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Shego replied in a bored voice. "I'll have to go back to using a skin tone altering patch though."

"Contact lenses and wigs might help too," Betty offered. "I believe Wade Load will provide you with the necessary equipment. You have until tomorrow afternoon to prepare. I'll make sure you have suitable transportation that will take you to the port." She walked them to her office door and bid them goodbye.

"So what are your plans?" Kim asked her protector as they walked through the busy hallways of Global Justice. "Like she said, we need to come up with a front and get into the Seniors' party."

Shego shrugged. "I was thinking we could pass as business partners," she replied.

Kim shot the older woman an incredulous look. "Are you serious?" she demanded. "That particular front is going to require a lot of details!"

"Details I can easily come up with," Shego patiently replied. "I need to make a few calls though and pull a couple of favors." They both got into her car and drove back to the apartment. "Why are you so worried? You know well enough that I'm skilled at this undercover business. You're skilled in that department as well."

"If we do go as business partners, Señor Senior would have to know what business we're involved in."

"Don't worry so much. I'll handle it," Shego assured the redhead. "Well, I'm hoping my mom will help," she admitted.

"Your mom?"

The villainess nodded. "I heard from her recently that she just recently funded a business that deals in detection systems, alarms and security. It's similar to the business mom runs though she's not active in it."

"We could use it as a front?" Kim asked, wondering if the owners would actually allow it.

"Most likely," Shego replied. "She mentioned once the last time I talked to her that the owner is looking into doing some potential business with the Seniors. Mom's a part owner so she'll probably be able to pull a few strings and keep our real motives a secret." They reached their apartment and headed inside. "I just have to give her a call. While I do that, why don't you call nerdlinger for the equipment and the disguises." She left Kim in the living room and walked upstairs to their bedroom.

"How exactly are we going to pretend that we represent that company? Won't Señor Senior be suspicious?" Kim called to her lover from the first floor.

Shego sighed and called back. "Let me iron out the rest of the details and stop worrying! You know as well as I that all it takes is to put some honey in your words and charm them enough to make them trust you!" Thankfully, Kim kept quiet after that and left Shego to make the necessary preparations before beginning their mission the following day.

* * *

_The following night…_

* * *

"This seems to be the drop-off point," Shego remarked from her seat in the hired limousine. Both she and Kim peered out of their windows and saw that very well-dressed men and women milled around underneath a lit tent that was guarded by Señor Senior's security team. "Sheesh! Even the men can compete as overdressed peacocks against the women here!" She waited as Kim gave last minute instructions to the driver then checked their disguises. While Kim hid her hair underneath a blonde wig, concealed her eyes with shades and wore a tight black dress, Shego was dressed smartly in an Italian suit and her skin tone changing patch gave her the look of a deeply tanned woman. The villainess' hair was also pulled up into a tight bun and she also wore glasses to complete the whole disguise.

"Bring out the invitation will you?" Kim gave one more look at their undercover driver then opened the door. She and Shego stepped out and confidently moved towards one of the men from security.

"Who?" the man asked.

Shego raised a disinterested eyebrow at the scowling man. "Logan Kane and Alex Kress," she promptly said. "Impregnable Systems," she added. She and Kim watched as the man scrutinized their invitation, their faces and the list he held in his hands. After a few moments, he stepped aside and gestured for them to join the guests milling around in the tent.

"Alex Kress?" Kim whispered to her lover as they mingled into the crowd. "How come you get to use one of your real names and I don't?"

Shego leaned over to whisper her reply into the disguised heroine's ear. "All your names are too conspicuous and my real name isn't too well known. Don't complain, it worked didn't it?"

"So your mom really did pull a few strings?"

Shego chuckled. "Very easily. She simply threatened the company that it's better to fake having us as their representatives for this party than be caught doing real business with known criminals."

"Also it's plus points that they're helping out Global Justice with this stint," Kim added.

"Exactly," Shego agreed, her eyes catching sight of Señor Senior and his son making their way towards them. "Heads up and let me do the talking."

"Pardon me, but I don't believe we've met before," the older man began, forcing himself not to frown when his son began to primp himself in front of the women. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your names?"

Shego smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Logan Kane Señor Senior and this is Alex Kress," she gestured at Kim who also held out her hand to the wealthy old man. "We're representing Impregnable Systems. I believe our boss Mr. Davidson mentioned us?"

"Ah why yes! He did mention that he'd be sending representatives since he cannot make it," Senior remarked with a shake of his head. "Such a shame that he isn't able to make it, but there now! Why should I be woeful when he has sent such lovely ladies in his stead?"

"Very, very lovely!" Junior added, flexing his muscles in an attempt to impress.

"Flirt later Junior," Senior chided his son. To the disguised Shego and Kim, he gestured at the refreshments table and said, "Please help yourselves to some cool drinks and appetizers. We shall be moving on to the main venue in a short while." With that, he dragged his son off to greet other guests.

"Main venue?" Kim murmured as she followed Shego to the makeshift bar.

"Quite suspicious," Shego replied, leaning against the bar. "I'll have a Guinness," she told the bartender. "What do you want?"

Kim frowned and was about to refuse, but decided to have a drink anyway. It would look suspicious if she didn't have anything when everyone else had a bottle or glass in their hand. "Midori and lemonade," she ordered and leaned against the bar as well to wait for their drinks. "Any idea what's this venue they're talking about?"

Shego shrugged and nodded her head in thanks to the bartender when he set their drinks in front of them. "As of the moment, I'm stumped. From what I can see, there aren't any seagoing vessels docked here that can take our lot out for a party." She drank from her beer glass and observed the crowd. "I haven't heard any of the other guests mentioning a transfer of venue so I'd guess that they're as clueless as we are."

"So the Seniors meant it to be a surprise?"

"Could be," Shego replied. She went on watching the party, waiting for the announcement of the transfer. She was just about to order her third beer when Senior finally addressed his guests. "If you may kindly position yourselves by the pier, we shall be heading to a better venue."

Kim raised her eyebrows at this and glanced at Shego who merely shrugged her shoulders. "There are no ships," she murmured to the older woman as they followed the guests out onto the dock. "Where are we supposed to be going any-" her breath caught in her throat when she saw the dark water bubble ferociously.

Shego grimaced, folding her arms over her chest as the guests exalted in what was happening before them. "That explains it," she muttered just as the familiar metal form of a submarine surfaced.

"Do you think this is the new venue Senior was talking about?" Kim asked, tilting her shades down so that she could get a better look at the submarine.

The villainess shook her head. "I have a feeling this is merely transport," Shego quietly replied. Doors at the side of the sub hissed open and a bridge extended towards the dock. "The Seniors always do things extravagantly so I doubt we'll be continuing this party in a submarine."

Kim frowned as the guests surged forward to board the vessel. "Wherever it's going to take us, it's undoubtedly somewhere underwater." She shook her head at Shego. "I don't like this," she softly told her lover. "A lot of things can go wrong in that situation unless you and I can breathe underwater."

Shego snorted at the dry joke. "Things are certainly more complicated now with the change of environment." She straightened her shoulders and offered her arm to Kim. It was soon their turn to cross the bridge and enter the submarine. "We'll just have to wing it, princess," she remarked with a wink. As the doors closed behind the last guests who boarded, the disguised Shego and Kim decided to lean against the cold metal wall side by side. The rest of the guests occupied the modest cushioned benches provided for the trip.

"To our honored guests," Senior's voice echoed loudly within the sub. "Please make yourselves comfortable for this short trip. We shall be at our destination in about ten minutes."

Kim furrowed her eyebrows, but decided to relax her stance. "Definitely on the seafloor," she murmured quietly to Shego who nodded her head in agreement. "Some sort of base?"

"Looks like it," Shego replied, watching the guests chatter excitedly. "The Seniors certainly have the wealth to finance such a place on the seafloor." She couldn't help but smile when Kim moved in closer to her side so that their arms were touching. "Getting nervous, princess?" she teased. "Or do you just miss the way I touch you?"

Kim rammed a sharp elbow into Shego's ribs and glared at her. "Stop teasing. People might think that we're suspicious."

"The two of us?" Shego asked, raising elegantly shaped eyebrows. "They're ogling already because my date is a woman," she pointed out, glancing over at the crowd of guests and easily catching several giving them strange looks. "We are after all standing next to each other in a rather intimate way." Feeling up for a little bit of mischief, Shego snaked one arm around Kim's waist and pulled her in even closer. "Don't worry about it. They can't expect all business-minded people to be straight. Think of it this as a front."

"Oh ladies!" A familiar and annoying high pitched voice called out to them.

"Oh no… not him," Kim muttered, but didn't try to pull away from Shego's hold as Junior waltzed over to them with a big grin on his face.

Shego chuckled and lovingly caressed the curve of Kim's waist with her hand, holding back a smile when Kim involuntarily shuddered at her touch. "Just let me do the talking, princess," she ordered, putting a smile on her face. "Hello again Señor Junior," Shego greeted politely.

As usual, the buff young heir flexed his muscles in greeting. "I look good, no?"

"Amazingly fit although you could do with a change of hairstyle," Shego replied, pushing her fake glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Ouch!" Junior gave them a dramatic pained look. "But my hairstyle has always been in style!"

"It makes you look like an egg," the disguised Shego mercilessly retorted. "In any case, what can we do for you?"

Junior immediately dropped the pained act and gave them his most charming smile. "I saw that the two of you are unescorted and I'd like to offer both of my arms as service." Once more, he eagerly flexed his arms and raised his eyebrows suggestively at both women. "Perhaps after the party, we could… hang out Miss Kane and Miss Kress."

Shego sighed and decidedly felt bored with the way this was going. "Sorry, but I'm not interested."

"Well, how about you then Miss Kress?" Junior eyed the blonde. "I'm certain to give you a good time."

Shego sighed and pulled her disguised lover closer into her side. "She's not interested as well," she patiently explained to Junior who now had a baffled look on his face. "As you can probably see, she's taken." She didn't think Junior was dumb enough to not see her possessive hold on Kim. Thankfully the young man figured things out, but that didn't stop his advances. In fact, he seemed even more determined to acquire their company.

"Even better! Nothing is hotter than two beautiful women into each other!"

Shego rolled her eyes. Junior was almost drooling and she was starting to regret teaching the kid the villain trade. "Look Señor Junior, we're here for business despite this being a party. I doubt your father would find it appropriate if you choose to follow through with what you've been suggesting."

Junior stiffened. "He doesn't have to know…" he whined. Already, he looked dissuaded after his father was put into the conversation.

"He won't have to if you give up on this silly game of yours," Shego patiently explained. They all felt the submarine slow down. "Will you excuse us? It looks like we'll be disembarking soon." She curtly nodded at the forlorn-looking young man and led Kim towards the exit. "Annoying kid," Shego muttered loudly enough for Kim to hear.

Kim chuckled and tightened her hold on Shego's arm. "At least you were able to get rid of him without resorting to violence," she pointed out with amusement. "Who knew that you have some diplomacy in you?"

"Hey, I can be diplomatic whenever I want!" Shego retorted as the other guests joined them at the exit doors. "What do you think of me anyway? It's not like I always use violence to solve my problems!"

"Strange… it's been that way ever since we first became arch-nemeses," Kim thoughtfully said.

"Watch it, princess," Shego growled.

"Or what?"

Shego gave her girlfriend an evil smile. "Or this!" She let her hand drift down and once it got to its destination, she let her fingers partake of the nubile flesh of Kim's behind. The villainess bit back a laugh as Kim held back what sounded like a combination of a gasp and scream. For her bold action, Shego received a hard slap on her upper arm, which she didn't react to. "Get used to it, princess," Shego murmured into Kim's very red ear. "I'm allowed to touch you whenever and wherever I want!"

Kim glared up into Shego's face. "As long as it's not in public! Sheesh! Let me keep some of my dignity intact!" she complained just as the doors opened into a purely glass hallway. They followed the Seniors and the other guests down the brightly lit hallway and into large room with a glass dome ceiling. The room was large and luxurious being fully decked with expensive furniture and top of the line technology. As the guests scattered around the premises, humanoid robots skittered around offering food and refreshments.

"I still can't tell if this party has other motives," Shego muttered, taking a glass of wine from the tray offered by a robot. "I'm impressed though that the Seniors were able to finance such a place on the seafloor. They must have spent a fortune just on the glass alone and the air system… probably it's the type of system they use on submarines which converts seawater into oxygen."

Kim warily looked up at the transparent dome ceiling. "Still, I find it rather risky to build here on the seafloor. Underwater earthquakes, volcanoes and even the immense pressure at this depth can be considered a deathtrap!"

"Let's just hang around a bit longer and see where this will bring us," Shego patiently said.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Señor Senior's amplified voice echoed through the room. "I hope that all of you are enjoying yourselves," he told his guests. "As you may have already noticed or guessed, this is the newest business venture my son and I have come up with." He tapped his cane against the floor as high-powered lights split through the darkness of the ocean outside of the glass dome. "Land is increasingly becoming scarce and since it won't be for another decade or even more until our race can migrate beyond the reaches of outer space, we realized that we did not need to look beyond earth to look for more land." He gestured dome above him. "As you can see, the seafloor is practically free. My son and I believe that this is a potential real estate gold mine. We invited you honored guests so that you may be convinced to join us in this venture."

"Can this place withstand the forces of nature?" Someone from the crowd asked.

Señor Senior looked appalled upon hearing the question. "My dear man, we've taken every single precaution to prevent the destruction of this underwater abode. It can withstand the immense pressure caused by depth and we've made sure that we built this place where there are no faults or volcanoes." He smiled and raised his cane into the air. "It's practically indestructible! People would not want to go back to the surface when they realize how much safer it is down here."

Shego raised her hand in the air and waited for the old man to notice her. "People would still end up becoming reliant on those who dwell on the surface. Where would they get their food or say medication? There are many other things that will be needed if in case people do decide to live on the seafloor." She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed another glass of wine. "Besides, it's too cut off from civilization and people need the sun. I for one wouldn't want to be in the dark despite all the artificial lighting."

Other people began asking even more difficult questions, which the old man could not answer properly. "You'll have these self-sufficient servants, which will make your lives easier!" Señor Senior told his guests.

"Weak," Shego muttered as Kim giggled beside her.

"They're foolproof!" The old man proclaimed just as a clumsy guest stumbled forward and threw his full wine glass onto one of the humanoid robots. Things went wrong almost immediately. The robot sparked and seemed to short circuit as people backed away from it as fast as they could. If these robots were indeed just mere servants, it became apparent that they had another purpose when the broken one retracted its arms and replaced them with spiked maces. Its crimson eyes glowed like lava as it ran around uncontrollably, destroying anything in its path.

"It's alright! Everything is under control!" Senior yelled as his guests ran around like headless chickens. His son Junior was not doing any better because he was cowering underneath a table. "I knew I shouldn't have recycled those old security drones," he muttered, suddenly gasping when the berserk drone shot out a high-powered laser from its eyes and into the side of the thick glass dome. "Not a problem! The glass has to take a harder beating than that if it's going to crack-" he gulped as the drone switched back to its normal metal arms and grabbed hold of a marble statue that was perhaps a thousand pounds in weight. As sparks continued to fly off the drone, it heaved the statue at the still glowing red line on the side of the glass dome. The impact shattered the statue into pieces and it also created a fissure on the protective glass. "Oh no…" Senior moaned. "Why does every single new business venture I come up with go wrong?" He walked as fast as he could with his cane towards a control panel and hurriedly pressed several buttons. "Everyone back to the submarine!" he shouted just as the lights went out. A few seconds later, the lights came back on, but it was dimmer.

"The doors are out! They won't open!" Somebody shouted near the exit.

"We're on emergency power," Senior explained, checking his panel once more. "It's a safety measure just in case things like this happen."

"Trapping us on the seafloor is a safety measure?" A panicked guested barked.

Senior tried to remain calm. "If you will give me a few moments, I shall have the system back online and we shall all board the submarine to head back to the surface." As he said that, they heard a large cracking sound.

"Ummm… father…" Junior had his head sticking out from underneath the table and he was pointing a shaking finger at the glass wall. He and the rest of the guests all watched in terror as the fissure lengthened several feet in a span of a few seconds.

"It's going to give! We're going to die!" A woman screamed. Mass panic was quickly settling in. All the Seniors could do was to watch and let the panic wash over them as well.

"I swear, I told the two of you to think things through before you actually push through with them!"

Junior scrambled out from his hiding place upon hearing that familiar snarky voice. "Shego?" he called out, feeling a surge of hope rush through his body at the thought of his former mentor being present at the party. His eyes widened in confusion as the bespectacled and suited woman he was recently talking to walked up to him. "Uhhhh… who are you?" he asked, suddenly yelping out in pain as Logan Kane delivered a hard knock to the back of his head with her fist.

"How slow can you be, you empty-headed, muscle-bound freak!" Dropping all pretenses, the suited woman threw off her glasses, undid her hair and ripped off the skin-tone changing patch. Her skin immediately turned back to its normal greenish tinge and just to make sure that her former idiotic student wouldn't get it wrong, she allowed her hands to gather her trademark green-hued powers.

"Shego!" Both Junior and Senior chorused though the former said it more happily than the latter. "Why are you here? Have you come back to become my teach-" he yelped again in pain when the villainess shoved him aside.

"I have no intention of teaching you again, Junior!" Shego remarked with a scowl as she strode over to the cracking glass wall. The fissure was steadily lengthening and if she didn't do anything soon, water would start rushing in. "I also have no intention of dying here." Looking around, she saw a similar sculpture a few feet away but realized that it was made of industrial steel. "Keep everyone back, princess!" she called to the blond-haired Alex Kress who at that moment, reached up and took the wig off, freeing her mane of auburn hair.

Junior gasped once more in surprise. "Kim Possible! You're here too?" He looked back and forth between Shego and Kim Possible. "You came together?" he asked incredulously.

"And for what purpose?" Senior added, frowning deeply.

"Undercover work," Kim simply explained. "Global Justice was worried that this was going to turn out to be a crime since the both of you insist on the path of villainy." Taking a deep breath she shouted out orders to the still panicking guests, herding them as far away from the trouble area.

Shego stalked over to the steel sculpture and with a charged swipe of her hand, she sliced off a four foot long bar of steel. Quickly going back to the cracking glass, she pressed one end of the steel on one crack and with her free hand, she willed her power to melt the steel. She worked her way up the fissure, ignoring the sprinkle of water that was squeezing its way through. When she saw that she wouldn't be able to reach the upper part of the fissure, she turned and yelled an order to her former student. "Be helpful for once and give me a boost!" She waited as Junior scrambled over and squatted down before her. Tucking the disfigured steel bar underneath her arm, she jumped onto Junior's shoulder and kept her balance as the young man straightened to hill full height. "Just hold still," she muttered and continued her work. Once she finished fusing the steel against the cracked glass, she waited for a tense couple of minutes to see if her quick repair job would hold. With a relieved sigh, she jumped off Junior's shoulders and tossed the remains of the steel bar onto the floor.

"Everything okay?" Kim called from the other side of the room.

"For now," Shego replied. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible." The villainess glanced at Senior who was still frowning. "If you're not busy, could you get the power system back up?" she dryly said.

"I just need a few more minutes," Senior replied, turning his back to Shego and tapping rapidly on his panel.

Junior took the opportunity to approach Shego once more. "So… when you said that Alex Kress was taken," he slowly said, looking thoughtful. "Did you mean-"

Shego scowled and waved her hand at Junior in a bored manner. "We were disguised, Junior," she told him flatly. "We had to act in character to keep our cover."

"So… you were just pretending then?" Junior suspiciously asked.

Shego struggled to keep herself from punching him. For once, she wished that Junior would just be stupid at this moment. She didn't want to complicate things for Kim just because some rich and foolish heir happened to have good perspective on their situation. "Yes…" she replied, uninterested. "It was all an act…" she suddenly smirked and remembered how her former student was hitting on both she and Kim. "And to keep you from making any further moves on us."

Junior frowned, but decided to accept the explanation. "I forgot that you're the hired protection of Kim Possible. They've been mentioning it on the news a lot and making a big deal about it."

"They can talk all they want," Shego snapped. "Work is work!" Just then, the lights brightened and the guests cheered and let out sighs of relief with the return of the power system. "Finally, we can get out of here!" She strode over to Kim and crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll have to report to Betty that this mission was a dud," she said in annoyance, jerking her thumb at the Seniors. She and Kim followed the guests out of the newly opened doors and boarded the submarine.

* * *

It was past midnight when they arrived back at Shego's apartment. The submarine ride back to the surface has been uneventful and when they were all back on solid ground, she and Kim left the guests to natter at the Seniors for putting all of them in danger. Their driver left them at the front and whisked away, disappearing into the darkness. The automatic lighting in the apartment came on as Shego and her charge walked into the living room, both feeling tired from that night's events.

"Damn…" Shego muttered. "I'm beat!" She shrugged off her blazer and threw it onto the couch. She stripped out of the rest of her clothing until she was left in just a partially unbuttoned white long-sleeved shirt. She fell heavily onto her couch and leaned back with a grateful sigh. "Remind me never to take the Seniors seriously again," she called out to Kim who had gone into the bedroom to change.

"We ended up doing some good anyway, by rescuing the guests," Kim replied from the bedroom as she pulled on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. "And Junior did help out when you couldn't reach the higher part of the fissure on the glass."

"A stepping stool… that's all he's worth," Shego drawled, sitting up and pressed a button on the armrest panel. A holographic screen popped up before her. "I'm going to make and send a report to the director." She quickly summarized the mission in a paragraph then sent it. "If you have anything else to add, just send another report to her." Before she turned off the screen, she decided to check her email. She scanned through her inbox and started deleting the useless emails when she saw one particular email coming from Mego. The subject, which was the word 'urgent' was all in capital letters. Curious and a little confused with the suddenness of the email since her brother was not one to communicate with her through email, Shego opened the message and accessed the link. Emerald green orbs widened and burned with fury upon seeing the page before her. "That damn idiot!" Shego roared, getting to her feet and angrily destroying the coffee table with a burst of energy from her right hand.

"Shego? What's wrong?" Kim hurried out of the room and gasped at the smoking remains of the table. "Did you really have to do that?" she asked, walking over to her lover.

Shego threw up arms up in frustration and let out another roar. "You'd probably be doing something even more violent after you see _that!" _She angrily gestured at the holographic screen, which Kim looked at.

Shock immediately befell the redhead as she saw the top story of what looked to be a popular gossip blog. It was bad enough that there was a clear picture of her and Shego standing next to each other at the party of the Seniors without their disguises on since they had discarded to help keep the guests safe. The headline was what made her turn as pale as a sheet. _"Forbidden Romance?"_ was what it said and there was a haphazardly drawn heart drawn around their faces in the picture with a broken line separating them.

"That stupid Junior couldn't keep his mouth shut!" Shego growled, banging the panel with her fist, which promptly made the holographic screen disappear.

"He's the one who did this?" Kim asked, feeling suddenly nauseous.

Shego grimly nodded her head. "He was asking me after we had revealed ourselves at the party if we were an item. It went along those lines in any case," she explained, pacing the floor. "I told him that it was all an act since we were undercover and that we just made it look like that we were an item so that he'd stop hitting on us."

"It's just a gossip blog…" Kim murmured. "People won't believe it that easily… right?" she hopefully asked her protector.

"You know better!" Shego snapped. "People thrive on gossip and even though there's no hard evidence that we're really a couple, people will keep asking questions and formulate their own answers."

"So the secret is truly out then," Kim quietly admitted, knowing that she would have to face the criticism and ridicule of the public. _So much for being the perfect role model,_ she silently thought to herself.

Shego kicked at a scrap of smoking wood and crossed her arms over her chest. "Forget about what the damn public is going to say. They'll lash out when they find out that you're gay and dating your arch nemesis, but you and I have bigger things to worry about." Her emerald green eyes bore into Kim's jade green eyes.

"Balken Steel," Kim said with utmost seriousness on her face.

"Let people waste their time complaining about how their role model has fallen from grace while we tackle the real work," Shego darkly muttered. Slowly the dark look on her face faded. She padded across the floor to stand in front of Kim then gently cupped her face with her hand. "Don't let it get to you, princess," she softly told the redhead who was trying her best not to become distraught. "You can't please everyone, right?" She leaned down slightly and pressed her forehead against Kim's, trying to comfort her. "Besides, there's only one person you really need to please."

Kim locked eyes with the older woman before her. "And who is that?" she asked.

Shego's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Me," she arrogantly replied, closing the gap between them and giving her younger lover a passionate kiss.


	21. Chance

_Chapter 21: "Chance"_

She didn't want to whine, but this was one such instance that she couldn't help herself. Why couldn't Hego or Mego be the responsible adults for once?

"_I'm sorry, Shannon,"_ Leila apologized to her only daughter over the phone. _"Both your father and I are too tied up with work to do this."_

"And both of you feel that Hector and Merric aren't the best people to attend this matter," Shego muttered, rubbing the back of her neck as she paced along the length of her living room. It's been a couple of weeks since she and Kim had gone undercover to investigate the Seniors and they were back at her apartment at the cusp of summer vacation. "Are you sure this is a normal parent-teacher conference?" she asked her mother. "It might just be a mask for something else, you know," she added.

Leila chuckled in spite of herself. _"I can't blame you for feeling that way especially with how Warren and Wallace are," _she readily agreed. _"They may be in junior high school, but I'm sure their teachers feel that they're too much of a handful."_

Shego sighed and finally sat down on her leather couch. "I still don't think it's a good idea that I should be the one to go the PTC," she reminded her mother for the nth time. "It's bad enough that neither parent can attend, but having their infamous older sister go in their place is worse." She crossed her legs and closed her eyes for a few moments. "There's also the fact that the public's disapproval of me has increased by multitudes especially when the news came out that I'm being paid a ridiculous amount to protect Kim Possible-"

"_And that you brought down the role model of the century by bringing her to the other side of the fence and making her your girlfriend," _Leila finished. _"Yes I know. I do watch the news, Shannon," _she gently chided her daughter. _"Although in my opinion, everything's just too blown up and people are overreacting. There was one interview I saw on TV of a woman who was condemning Kim for becoming a lesbian. It went along the lines of 'she's going to burn in hell' and that she's greatly disturbed that her children and the youth looked up to her as an inspiration."_

Shego waved the story off. "Everyone's a critic. What right do they have to arrange Kim's life like that?" she asked her mother. "People can't just place you in a tiny little box and expect you to act and live your life the way they want it to be. It's Kim's life and it's her choice on what to do with it after all."

"_I'm glad that you're taking all of this quite well," _Leila mused. _"Then again, I expected it since you're not one to be affected by all the senseless talk and criticism." _She paused for a moment before speaking again. _"And how is Kim taking all of this?"_

"The first few days or so, she was doing really badly," Shego readily admitted, remembering how her younger lover looked like she was just about to crumble as each day passed. "She's usually under house arrest with me since she's taken a leave of absence from university, but when she does go out in the open to meet with the director or go on some low ranking missions, she can't avoid meeting with the public." She sighed and ran her fingers through her thick mane of hair. "It took me the whole night to stop her from crying and to calm her down when she came home from a quick mission in the city."

"_And what made her react that way?"_

"It was just a routine mission from what I know," Shego explained. "You know that small amusement park? One of the rides malfunctioned and left the riders hanging nearly upside down in midair. The rescue team had a crane brought over, but they couldn't do much without endangering the lives of the riders."

"_So they called Kim over to see what she could do," _Leila guessed.

"Yeah," Shego confirmed her mother's guess. "She didn't go alone though. We agreed earlier that if the missions were not of high priority, Kim could go without me but she would be escorted by Global Justice agents." She shook her head as she remembered that particular discussion and how distressed the redhead was. "People would make too much of a fuss if the both of us are seen together."

"_I see…"_ Leila murmured. _"So she was accompanied by someone from Global Justice."_

"Will Du was tasked to accompany her and they made quick work saving all the riders," Shego told her mother. "I didn't think it was going to be much of a challenge with all the gadgets those two have access to."

"_And when did the trouble actually start?"_

Shego scowled deeply. "Some of the kids Kim and Will Du rescued approached her afterwards to thank her." She clenched her fists tightly at what she was about to say. "The kids just wanted to say thanks and get an autograph, but their parents yanked them away and started to yell a lot of obscene things to Kim. You must know how embarrassing it is to be in that situation! And the look on those kids' faces when their parents told them how degraded their Kim Possible was…" Shego paused and gritted her teeth. "It just killed Kim when those kids looked at her that way… so much disappointment and some hate for what she has become."

"_Of course she would be upset. Who wouldn't be in that situation?"_

"The damn parents didn't even stop their browbeating until Will Du stepped in and threatened to taser them with his watch," Shego angrily added. "When she came home, she couldn't stop crying and I couldn't even get her to tell me what made her so upset until the following morning." The villainess sighed and felt both physically and mentally drained. "I just wish she wasn't so sensitive."

"_How can she help it, Shannon?"_ Leila asked. _"Kim has grown up to have a spotless reputation and even though you don't care much about that matter, _she _does." _Leila let out a sigh of her own. _"Think of it this way. Kim has always wanted to live up to the expectations people have of her especially since she's a hero and don't go arguing with me, young lady!" _she cautioned her daughter who she knew was about to do just that. _"There are many people who care about what their peers think of them. You are one of them even though you'd probably deny it."_

Shego grunted out her denial. "I don't care what people say about me!"

"_You do care in a certain way especially when people start questioning your intentions of being a villainess,"_ Leila mercilessly told her daughter. _"Don't deny it that you hate it when people say that you're fickle for frequently switching from the good to the evil side. I've seen how riled up you get especially when they say that you're not much of a villainess when you always end up doing good especially when it's necessary."_

"Why do you always have to be right?" Shego growled, her scowl deepening when her mother merely laughed in reply.

"_I'm your mother and I do know you,"_ Leila reminded her daughter. _"Anyway, I hope you and Kim are doing well enough now. She is coping better?"_

Shego nodded. "She is," she confirmed. "She's getting better at ignoring what people say to her out in the open, but it's still a different matter altogether when she comes home." She shrugged her shoulders. "I've gotten better at calming her down at least."

"_I'm sure you've found a good way to calm her down,"_ Leila put in wickedly, easily realizing what her daughter was actually doing.

Shego actually grinned and laughed outright. "Hey! It works and I have to admit that it's very satisfying!"

"_And if I could venture a guess, you just came from 'calming' her down?"_

"Bingo!" Shego easily admitted. "She's taking a nap right now. We just came from a long and tedious meeting with the director and other important authorities involved in this Balken Steel situation." She and Kim had left early in the morning to join Betty in the meeting and they were kept in that meeting room for hours. They had discussed many things during the meeting, but as she had expected, the talk about Kim's fall from grace as the public had decided to put it in words, was unavoidable. Shego stood by Kim's side the whole time the young heroine was grilled by those present in the meeting. By the time everything was finished, it was already past lunch and Shego knew that Kim wanted to be nowhere else except for home. The villainess whisked Kim away from the Global Justice headquarters and once they got home, she got to _work _on calming her lover down.

"_What's the progress anyway with Balken Steel?"_ Leila asked, breaking into Shego's thoughts.

"Hardly any," Shego grimly replied. "There's still no sign of him and we're completely in the dark as to what his next move is. The case against Senator Hartmann and his cronies has been going well at least. The defense team of the accused could hardly put up a decent defense against the prosecution team the director hired." She chuckled as she remembered how the director described the look on the senator's face during the statement of the prosecution team. "The director thankfully did her research and was able to attain all the needed evidence to prove that the senator and his cronies are guilty."

"_They've been showing extensive coverage on the trial. I heard that the president of MCO, Geoffrey Douglas was it? He has formally submitted his letter of resignation since it looks like he won't be denying the charges pressed on him. Paul Watson, the owner of the bank who handled the illegal transfer of funds is also contemplating resignation although Jonathan Myers is vehemently denying all claims."_

"That rich bastard thinks his money can get him out of anything," Shego drawled. "Anyway mom, I'd hate to cut this conversation short since we hardly get to talk to each other, but I've got work to do."

"_Work?"_

"The director gave me a bunch of paperwork and files to sort through," Shego explained. "It details the activities of MCO during the time Balken Steel was still developing the Silver Lifeblood and the personal files of each person involved in MCO during that time as well." She didn't think it would do much good, but she decided to accept the work anyway. "The director thinks that there's a very low chance that I'll find anything useful, but since there's little else to do, I might as well take it."

"_It seems like a lot of work so I'll leave you to it,"_ Leila said. _"Don't forget that the twin's parent-teacher conference is in two days. Call me up if you need any help."_

"I'll be sure to do that mom," Shego agreed then hung up. Resettling the phone on its dock, Shego got to her feet and stretched her body. After her session with Kim, she had changed into a comfortable pair of black cloth pants and a typical green tank top. Glancing at the wall clock and noting that it was past three in the afternoon, the green-hued villainess decided that she might as well start with the work the director gave her. First, she wanted to check on Kim before anything else. Padding upstairs in her bare feet, Shego slipped into her bedroom and quietly walked over to the side of her bed. As she expected, Kim was still asleep and it was evident on Kim's face and body that her lover was not solely exhausted because of the rigorous love-making they did recently. Frowning at how weary her lover way, Shego leaned down and gently threaded her fingers through Kim's auburn hair. "Don't stress yourself out so much," she whispered into Kim's ear then placed a soft kiss on Kim's forehead. The fact that Kim didn't even react to what she said or did made it clearer that she was truly drained from everything that was happening. Wanting to give Kim more time to rest, Shego collected the foot-tall sheaf of papers and handful of high-storage memory disks about MCO then brought it down to her study.

Once she was seated at her desk in front of her computer, she took one disdainful look at the papers and decided to look through the computer files instead. "Might as well look through the personal files of the MCO employees working with Balken Steel at that time," Shego decided, plugging in the first memory disk and opening the first file.

* * *

_Two days later…_

* * *

Shego arrived at the large and wealthy Go Preparatory School ten minutes before the start of the PTC. It was past two in the afternoon and she knew that the students were bound to be released from their classes at any time. Before leaving her apartment, she had strictly forbidden Kim from leaving the premises and ordered the standby and disguised Global Justice agents outside to keep an eye on her charge. She knew she was going to be away for two hours at most, but she just didn't want to take any risks especially with the unpredictability Balken Steel showed them in the past. Securing her helmet on her Ducati's seat, Shego could tell that people were double-taking at the sight of her in the school premises. Dressed formally in black slacks, a pressed long-sleeved shirt and black blazer that was buttoned down from her ribs, Shego looked both intimidating and ready for business. Despite it being a rather important meeting, Shego wore her hair down in its usual style and even wore dark-tinted shades although it was obvious to the people around her that she was no longer concealing her identity. She stood out as usual because of her green-hued skin, but while people were often eager to approach Kim and berate her, none of them had the nerve to do the same to the infamous villainess. Kim was obviously easy pickings while her protector was no pushover and would probably burn them off the face of earth if they said anything out of hand.

Holding the PTC notice in her hand, Shego strode into the main building of the Preparatory School and went in search of the room where the meeting was going to take place. She was on her way up to the second floor when the bell signaling the end of the school day loudly echoed down the halls. Upon reaching the landing, the villainess had to stand still for a moment as a sudden wave of uniformed students ran past her and down the stairs, eager to get out of school. She was about to continue walking when a pair of redheaded boys skidded to a halt before her.

"Hey sis!" the boys chorused in a near shout, both breaking out into wide grins.

Shego scowled and immediately braced herself, knowing that her younger brothers were bound to show her affection. "Not so loud you brats!" Still, she couldn't help but feel some affection for her younger brothers when they suddenly lunged at her and enveloped her in a hug.

"We missed you!" The twins proclaimed, hanging onto her.

"I didn't…" Shego muttered, pushing both of the redheaded boys away and feeling somewhat shocked that her baby brothers were not exactly babies anymore. Both Warren and Wallace were now almost at the same level as her nose. She shouldn't have been surprised since the twins just turned fifteen and were in junior high. Still, a sense of nostalgia crept up to her since she always thought of the twins as the kids that they used to be.

"What are you doing here anyway?" they chorused once more.

Shego clapped her hands over her ears and groaned. "Can the two of you stop talking at the same time? It's annoying!"

Warren and Wallace glanced at each other and grinned. "Sorry!" they both apologized. "Oops!" the said sheepishly when they realized that they were still talking at the same time.

"Enough!" Shego growled. "Why don't the two of you go on home? I have things to do."

"What kind of things?" Warren asked.

"It's that parent-teacher conference isn't it?" Wallace immediately put in without waiting for his older sister to answer. "Don't believe everything they say, sis! We've been behaving! We haven't caused any mischief since that last incident!"

"Warren!" Wallace hastily elbowed his brother and smiled up at his older sister who was giving them a raised eyebrow. "Don't worry sis! We haven't done anything wrong! Anyway, we're off to tennis training! Come see us when you're done, okay?" With that, Wallace took hold of his twin's arm and dragged him down the stairs.

Shego let out a disgruntled sigh and continued to walk down the hall. "I knew this wasn't going to be a normal parent-teacher conference," she grumbled, reaching the assigned meeting room and going inside. As she expected, the twin's teacher was already there waiting for her. From what she remembered from the notice, this was Miss Rose Dreyson. She was a woman in her mid-thirties and to Shego, she looked too nice to be a teacher. _Obviously she's a pushover for her students,_ Shego thought as she watched the teacher stand up and walk over to her. _The twins are probably the reason why her hair has started to go white._

"I'm Miss Dreyson," the teacher introduced herself once she stood in front of Shego. She held her hand out for a handshake and seemed nervous about it until Shego took it and firmly gripped it. "I was told by Warren and Wallace's parents that neither of them were going to make it and that the boys' older sibling was coming in their place, but I didn't expect you to come in."

Shego waved the comment off and took her hand back. "If you expected either of their older brothers to come, you were wrong. Those two don't have a clue on how to handle these kinds of matters and they certainly have no interest." The villainess gratefully took the empty seat in front of the table as the twin's homeroom teacher also took her seat at the other side of the desk.

"What?" The teacher looked confused at what she was just told.

Shego sighed and slipped off her shades, revealing her piercing emerald green orbs. "Hego is busy with the restaurant and also too involved with the going hero aspect as well. Mego is a socialite and is usually involved in the hero business as well, but only because he's forced. My brothers don't exactly have the time or interest to care about our younger brothers' education," she patiently explained, languidly crossing her arms over her chest. "That leaves me, the older sister who has a degree in education and the only one our parents trust enough to take responsibility." She raised an elegant eyebrow at the awestruck teacher. "So there you have it."

"I-I speculated that the boys were part of Team Go, but they always managed to conceal their hero identities so well," Rose Dreyson remarked. "Now that you've walked in and claimed that you were their older sister, I suppose it all makes sense now."

"What makes sense?"

"The boys' behavior while they're in school," Rose replied. "I know it's expected from boys their age to act… rambunctious, but there have been a few of their stunts that have gone overboard." She grimly smiled as she handed Shego the evaluation reports of her brothers. "The last stunt involving slicking hallways on both the first and second floors with vegetable oil had the school board pressing that they be expelled. They obviously didn't find it amusing that the students and teachers couldn't get on with the day properly because they kept slipping on the oiled floors and couldn't get up." She gestured at the evaluations in Shego's hands. "You can probably see from the evaluations why they haven't been expelled yet."

Shego let out a low whistle as she scanned through her brother's grades. She was definitely surprised at what she was seeing and she had not expected it at all. The twins were apparently straight-A students and due to their prowess as members of the tennis varsity, they had also brought home a significant number of trophies and partnering fame to their school. "They're good students and athletes," she remarked, placing the papers on the table.

Rose nodded. "I tried to explain that they're just growing up and most boys their age have high-wired minds, but the school board was firm with their latest decision."

Shego had a dreadful feeling about this. "And what decision was that?"

"One more stunt or prank and they will be expelled no matter how good their grades and athletic contributions are," Rose sadly answered. "There's only so much I could do as their homeroom teacher, but they don't take me seriously whenever I pull them aside and talk to them." She shook her head ruefully. "I don't really do well when I have to talk to students who are considered troublesome by the school. I'm too nice I suppose."

Shego huffed out and kneaded her temples with her fingers. "I'm guessing that this meeting's true purpose was to have someone from their family talk some sense into them."

"Please Miss Shego," Rose pleaded. "The boys don't realize how close to the edge they are. Expulsion will go on their permanent record and it would be a shame if that were to happen because they could easily get into the best universities." The teacher looked desperate. "I promised the board that the boys wouldn't do anything that would get them expelled."

Shego shook her head. "You shouldn't have done that," she scolded the older woman. "Making promises on behalf of the twins wasn't the right thing to do." She saw the teacher flinch at her rebuke and decided to go easy on her. "Look, I can't promise anything, but I'll talk to them. There's a chance that they'll listen to me since I'm their older sister." She got up from her seat and put her shades back on. "I never treated them well especially when I started falling out from the hero business, but they listen to me more than their older brothers so I'll use that to my advantage."

The homeroom teacher got up from her chair as well and grabbed hold of Shego's hand. "Thank you! It will mean the world to me and to them as well!"

"Is that all?" Shego asked, looking over at the door.

"Oh! Yes that's all!" The teacher let go of Shego's hand and escorted her out of the room. "Thank you for coming!"

Shego nodded once and briskly strode down the hall and towards the nearest exit. Fortunately, the exit she took brought her to the extensive athletics facility the school boasted. She easily spotted the fenced-in tennis courts along with the tennis players using them and leisurely walked over to them. Stopping outside of the fence, she looked through it and easily spotted her brothers who were currently playing doubles against two other players. Hands stuffed in her pockets, she watched as her brothers skillfully beat their opponents with great speed and teamwork.

"That's four to nothing for today!" Warren shouted, slapping his twin's hand.

"We're the best after all!" Wallace gleefully added, resting his tennis racket against his shoulder.

"We need to talk… now!"

The twins immediately turned towards the fence upon hearing their sister's distinctive voice. As one, they gulped then made their excuses to their coach and captain. The boys quickly got out of the tennis courts and met up with their sister who was sitting in the gazebo beside the court. "Errrr…. What's up?" both of them asked.

Shego scowled and motioned for them to sit down in front of her. "Will the two of you seriously stop talking at the same time?" she demanded crossly. "At least for this talk, okay?"

"How did the conference go?" Warren asked.

"Was Miss Dreyson angry?" Wallace asked next.

Shego held up her hand to stop her brothers from asking any more questions. "The conference went well enough although I really shouldn't have been the one to go. Mom or dad is more suited for this kind of thing since they _are _our parents. As for Miss Dreyson, she's not angry," she told the twins who both looked relieved. "But she is concerned about the two of you," she told them in a warning tone of voice.

"But we haven't done-" Warren tried to explain, but was cut off by Shego.

"You've apparently done a lot according to your teacher and the school board," Shego interrupted. "Do you realize how much in trouble the two of you are in?"

"Ummmm… we're getting detention for the rest of our stay in junior high?" Wallace guessed, rubbing the back of his head in nervousness.

"That doesn't sound so bad since we're practically living in detention anyway," Warren put in, also unaware of how bad their situation was.

"Warren, Wallace!"

The twins jerked in surprise upon hearing their sister actually call them by their real names. It had been years since Shego had actually called them that. The last time they heard her refer to them by the real names was before they got their superpowers. It was now that she used their real names that they realized that their older sister was quite serious about this talk.

Shego eyed her brothers who were now giving her their full attention. She knew that calling them by their real names would get their attention, but she didn't think that it would work this well. "One more unwanted stunt or prank and the both of you are getting expelled from this school," she told them bluntly.

Warren and Wallace winced at the news. "How can they do that? We didn't hurt anyone!" the former argued. "It was all just for fun!"

"And we're consistent honor roll students as well as the best of the school's athletes!" Wallace pointed out. "They can't just expel us!"

"They can because they've had enough of your antics," Shego firmly told the redheaded twins. "Your homeroom teacher has tried her best to cool down the board's heated heads, but they've had enough of you. Don't you realize how worried your teacher is for you? She wants the two of you to have a good future, which pretty much means a shot at getting into the best universities." She rolled her eyes heavenward when she saw that her brother's didn't realize that their teacher actually cared about them. "Teachers nurture and help their students onto the right path," she briskly told them. "Did you think that teachers just yell and scold their students?"

"Well… you're a teacher," Warren pointed out, glancing over at his brother who seemed to get the joke.

"Oh for the love of-" Shego began then stopped herself in time. Clearing her throat, she said, "Look, I know that the two of you are just really hyperactive. I guess your powers are partly to blame, but the two of you are old enough to behave properly. Control your emotions and get through the rest of high school. Do the rest of your antics when you're out of school…" she paused and grinned. "Do it especially when you're with Hego," she amended, knowing that their older brother would get a heart attack if the twins got sidetracked from a hero mission.

The twins grinned up at their older sister and got to their feet. "I guess we'll do as you say," Warren decided.

"You guess?" Shego calmly asked, eying her brothers.

"We'll do as you say!" Wallace quickly corrected his brother's error. "Besides, it's getting boring fooling around in the school," he huffed out, scuffing his foot against the floor. "Can we go? We need to get back to practice."

"Promise to me first that you won't cause any more problems while you're still in this school," Shego ordered her brothers. She suddenly had a brilliant idea. "If you do and you get expelled, I'm recommending to dad that he send the both of you to military school," she wickedly said, getting the reaction she expected from the twins. Both of the boys blanched at the prospect of going to military school and abiding by its strict rules.

"We promise!" the boys vehemently shouted, looking fearful at their possible future if they got into trouble one more time.

Shego nodded her head, feeling a sense of accomplishment. "Good. You can go." She flapped her hand at her younger brothers who immediately ran back to the tennis courts.

Before they got through the fenced gate, they turned back and shouted back at her. "Come visit us again, sis! You might not miss us, but we do miss you!"

Shego gave her best scowl at the twins who cheekily grinned at her before grabbing their rackets to play once more. Realizing that her work was done, Shego made her way to the campus parking lot and got herself ready for the ride home. As she was about to don her helmet, her eyes were quick to spot a beautiful raven-haired girl walking towards an approaching car that just entered the parking lot. As the girl got nearer to Shego's position, the villainess took an even better look at her. Pale-skinned with perfectly chiseled angles to her face, Shego could only guess that she was considered one of the beauties of the prep school. As she slipped on her helmet and secured the straps underneath her neck, she caught a glimpse of the unknown girl's eyes, which were a startling gray, almost silver color. It disconcerted her for a moment, but she shrugged it off and switched on her motorcycle's engine. She was easing her way towards the exit of the campus when the driver of the girl's car stepped out to hug the approaching girl. Shego almost lost her balance and crashed her bike, but she managed to keep going and avoid making a scene. She would have gone back to get a better look, but she was sure she recognized the driver. That bespectacled man had come up in the files she had gone through the previous day and if she remembered correctly, he was a member of the Doctor Balken Wainwright's team. After Balken Steel's supposed death, he suddenly resigned and couldn't be found.

Shego eased her way through downtown traffic as she mulled through what she just discovered. From what she gathered from the director's reports about the people involved in the Silver Lifeblood incident years ago, everyone was accounted for and had been interrogated by Global Justice all except for the man she just saw. She wasn't sure yet if he had a connection to the Balken Steel case, but it wouldn't hurt to do further research especially if something did come up.

* * *

"You've been here for hours!" Kim exclaimed as she walked into Shego's study with a steaming mug of coffee. "What exactly are you doing anyway? You just locked yourself in here when you got home from that meeting with the twins' teacher." She set the mug on the only free space on Shego's desk then pulled a chair over and sat on it.

Shego looked away from the monitor and blinked her weary eyes at Kim. "I was doing some research," she simply told the redhead, stretching her back and hearing it crackle from being in one position too long. "The director gave me all these files about MCO to look through and I figured that it wouldn't hurt to learn more about the people involved with Balken Steel back when he was still in the organization."

Kim was impressed. She didn't think that Shego liked doing paperwork or doing this kind of tedious research, but here she was sorting through file after file since she got back from her meeting. "So what have you found out so far?"

Shego shuffled through the mess of papers on her desk and pulled out a notepad, which she had been using to take down notes. "Did you know that all of Balken Wainwright's team of doctors and scientists at the medicinal cybernetics division are still working for MCO? Wait, let me rephrase that. All of them except for one are still involved with the organization. This scientist was apparently the right hand man of Balken in their division."

"What's the sitch then?" Kim wondered, unsure of what Shego was trying to get to.

Shego leaned back into her seat and locked her hands behind her head. "I think I recognized him from earlier," she admitted to Kim.

"You saw him?"

The villainess turned protector nodded and showed Kim the scientist's personal file. "His name is Robert Langsley. At that time, he was an up and coming expert in the field of cybernetics and he was also a licensed doctor of medicine." She and Kim looked at the photograph of the man. The man she saw at the school's parking lot looked almost exactly like the Langsley in the photograph. Both had greying long and wavy brown hair, hazel eyes that were shielded with eyeglasses, a square jaw and a generally lanky physique. "Based on the interviews conducted by the director's team, all of the affiliated persons in the cybernetics department claim that Langsley helped conceive the idea of Silver Lifeblood. It was strange, but all trace of Langsley disappeared after Balken Wainwright supposedly died after attempting to escape prison."

Kim tapped at the personal file. "It says here that he resigned suddenly after MCO offered him the position of head of the medicinal cybernetics division although there's no reason why he resigned listed here." She tossed the file back onto the messy table and frowned. "What are you planning to do? Do you think this Langsley has a connection to Balken Steel?"

Shego shook her head and grabbed the mug of coffee. "I'm not sure, princess," she admitted, sipping the hot beverage. "It's an inkling that I have that he might be a lost piece to this damned puzzle. He might know something that we don't and it might be useful in bringing Balken Steel down. They were colleagues after all and he was after all his right hand man." She shrugged her shoulders and decided that she had enough of doing research. "It's a longshot, but since we have no other leads and we're never sure when that cyborg is going to strike again, I might as well see what I can come up with by giving Langsley a closer look."

"How are you going to find him though? If he really did disappear without a trace, which he probably wanted, he most likely would have given up his name and tried to live under an alias."

Shego smiled and got up from her seat, still holding on to her mug. "I've got a plan, but it's going to take some time to see it through." She decided against telling Kim that she was going to use her younger brothers to dig around for information, particularly in the school's database. She had a hunch that the girl she saw with Langsley was most likely his daughter. If she could get that information, it would lead her to her target. First, she had to set up another meeting with her brothers and provide them with the necessary intel and technology to hack into the school's database without getting caught. She was sure that her brothers would know who the girl was since they did go to the same school, but she doubted that they knew anything else aside from her name and her grade. "As I said, it's a longshot and it's doubtful that we'll get anything useful from it."

"Do you want me to help?" Kim asked, getting to her feet as well and following Shego out into the living room.

Shego shook her head. "I'll be fine besides, the director gave me the task herself and I don't want to stress yourself out especially with your current condition."

"You make me sound like I have a disease!" Kim complained.

"It could almost be one with the way you've been acting since that gossip blog revealed that we're an item," Shego replied over her shoulder as she made her way up to the second floor. "You should practically be immune to all the bullshit people keep saying about you."

Kim threw her hands up in exasperation. "It's harder than it looks, Shego!" She entered their bedroom and threw herself onto the comfy bed.

"Maybe, but I suppose you might have other motives for not getting accustomed to all the verbal hate you've been getting," Shego mused, winking suggestively at her lover who immediately turned crimson at her comment.

"I don't think this 'sympathy sex' you've been doing with me is good for the long term," Kim snapped.

"That's what you call it?" Shego laughed as she too lay down on the bed. "What makes you think that I'm having sex with you because of sympathy?"

"Well you do it every time I'm out of it," Kim pointed out, feeling more and more annoyed as she thought about how Shego had pretty much led her to having sex every time she came home feeling drained and negatively affected by what people said about her.

"Pumpkin, we had daily sexy time even before the truth came out," Shego wryly reminded her lover. "What makes this different?" she asked. "Although I will admit that it does distract you enough from all that shit happening outside of this apartment. It was convenient in a way. You know, hitting two birds with one stone as they say."

"Sometimes, I just really want to kick your ass," Kim muttered darkly, rolling over onto her back and scowling up at the ceiling.

Shego grinned and changed her position so that she could lean over and let her face hang above Kim's. "Oh I love it when you start to cuss although it's still quite tame compared to how I do it." Since Kim kept scowling, Shego decided to have some fun and reached out to tweak her lover's nose. "Besides, if the sex really bothered you, why didn't you stop me then?"

Kim remained silent, but the answer was clear to Shego.

"Admit it, I'm just extremely good."

"And extremely arrogant!" Kim retorted.

"Has that trait of mine ever turned you off?" Shego innocently asked, moving away and laying back down on her side of the bed. "That's another thing you have to admit. You like my arrogance as well." She raised an eyebrow at her still blushing lover. "You wouldn't have kept this relationship if it truly did bother you."

"I _will _admit that you're too damned modest!" Kim pointed out. "Why do you always have to act like all these _great _traits of yours are the best things that ever happened to me?"

Shego chuckled and linked her hands over her stomach. "Because they are?" she simply answered, laughing silently at how riled up Kim was getting. "Do you want me to enumerate how it's been exactly great for you? First, I'm arrogant, but you like it especially when it involves me being arrogant about you. Second, I really am extremely good in bed and it's undeniably satisfying for you as well as for me. Third-"

"Enough! I get it already! Sheesh! This is the worst ego-trip yet!"

"You're just a sore loser, princess," Shego teased. "You hate it that you can't win an argument against me. In fact, you practically hate losing in anything against me."

Kim growled and suddenly threw herself on top of Shego, pinning her against the bed. "Why are you always picking on me?" she demanded, watching Shego smile up at her and remain relaxed despite the position she was in.

"Easy answer," Shego said. "It's fun plus I'm trying to rile you up enough to actually take initiative in bed. It's getting boring doing all the work." She jerked her eyebrows upward at her younger lover and smirked. "Up for the challenge, Kimmie?"

The scowl on Kim's face deepened as she furiously took off Shego's clothing and discarded them into a heap on the floor. "Fine then!" she snapped. "You are _so_ going to lose!"

Shego actually laughed at Kim's boast. "I'm not going to lose, princess. We both know who the more experienced one here is. You're going to lose control first." She lazily watched the redhead discard her own clothing.

"I am seriously going to make you eat those words," Kim dangerously growled as she let her hands do their work on Shego's naked form.

The raven-haired villainess leaned up onto her forearms and let her lips get close to Kim's ear. "I'd rather that you _eat _something else if you get my drift," she sultrily whispered into Kim's ear. Already, she could tell that she was affecting Kim with what she was doing. That suggestion practically made Kim freeze up, which Shego used to her advantage by gripping Kim's waist with her hands and flipping her onto her back. "See? More experienced." She smirked at Kim who looked absolutely furious.

Instead of answering back, Kim used her muscled legs to wrap around Shego's waist and reversed their positions easily. With a smile that conveyed furious confidence, Kim said in the same seductive voice Shego has used on her, "I've barely just begun."

* * *

It was hours later and quite late into the night when both women regained enough energy to actually talk to each other. Their love-making had certainly been the most strenuous one so far and it had left both Shego and Kim exhausted and out of breath. The state of their bed showed how wild their session had been. All of the pillows were strewn out on the floor and some of the cloth casings had tears in them. The blanket was hanging precariously over the side of the bed, while the bed sheets were extremely wrinkled, somewhat torn and had some faint lines of blood on them.

Still breathing heavily, Shego turned on her side to look at her equally tired lover who lay naked and uncovered like her. "That was more satisfying than I thought," she remarked in a wry voice.

"Too… intense," Kim slowly said, almost wheezing out in her weariness. "I… still… won…" she muttered, sighing when she felt Shego's gently brush away the sweat-damp hair that clung to her face. "Made… you lose control… first."

Shego chuckled and moved closer so that she could take Kim into her arms, wincing as the scratch marks on her back stretched painfully. "I suppose you did make me lose control first," Shego readily admitted as she embraced the redhead, liking the feel of their naked bodies pressed against each other. "But I won the next four rounds after that," she teasingly whispered into Kim's ear.

"Doesn't matter… I still won," Kim maintained, burying her face into Shego's chest.

Shego shook her head, but she knew Kim was never going to relent in that matter. "You're a real wildcat in bed, princess," she informed Kim, feeling quite pleased at the realization. "I didn't think that you had it in you to… add such variety."

Feeling much better, Kim laughed. "I wanted to teach you a lesson. I let my current emotions take hold of me then I just winged it." She pulled away then leaned in once more to give Shego a kiss. "I hope you realize now that I'm not meant to be submissive."

"I'm beginning to grow into liking an aggressive you after what just happened," Shego readily admitted. "Although, I much prefer being in control of things."

"There you go again!" Kim rolled her eyes and disentangled herself from Shego's embrace so that she could sit up and find her clothes. "I'm hungry," she announced.

Shego felt her stomach rumble out a complaint. "So am I," she agreed, sitting up as well. "Late night snack?" she suggested, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed and catching her clothes, which Kim tossed to her.

Kim smiled as she donned her shorts and tank top. "Just a quick one then we're going to sleep," she warningly told her protector who agreed with the plan without any argument. "I've got meeting to go to tomorrow at Global Justice headquarters to discuss possible battle strategies against Balken Steel when we end up facing him in the future."

Shego yawned as she finished pulling on the rest of her clothes. "How come I wasn't invited?"

"You'll be needed in the next meeting when we start on battle strategies involving you," Kim explained. "The one for tomorrow is just in case I end up facing Balken Steel alone." She led the way down into the kitchen.

"Sounds like a plan," Shego said, sitting down on the table and motioning for Kim to open the pantry. "Just grab me one of those instant noodles. I'm in no shape to cook something up." She sat there and gratefully watched as her lover even prepared her instant noodles for her. Much to her amusement, Kim opted to go with the same midnight snack and soon both of them were enjoying their instant noodles at the table.

"Since you're not required to go to the meeting tomorrow, what are your plans?" Kim asked.

Shego shrugged as she slurped the noodles broth. "I'm still pursuing that lead on Langsley. I think I can dig up some information at the twins' school if I'm careful enough."

"And once you get that information?"

Shego placed her instant noodles on the table before her. "What else? I'm going to track him down and grill him until I'm sure that he's said everything of use to me."

Kim smiled and nodded her head. "A good plan."

"Of course it is. I _am_ the best at what I do after all."

* * *

**_I figured that now would be a good time to explain why it took so long to update this story. Honestly, it was difficult to keep writing after I became involved in business. Starting and running a business takes a lot of time and effort and I realized that I had less and less time to write as well as less inspiration to use. The previous chapter was a two-year work-in-progress. I kept opening up the file and adding what I could every chance I got, but I often got sidetracked with work and mostly put writing aside. Every time I convinced myself that I was going to finish the chapter, I always ended up unsuccessful until recently of course. It was difficult to reacquaint myself with the story I had written and to remember what I plotted out for the next chapters. I suppose it was unavoidable so I ended up doing what the readers didn't want to happen by letting the story (and my other stories) die._  
**

**_Anyway, things have gotten better with running the business, which means I once again have more time in my hands. I used some of the free time to reread the unfinished stories I made and I came to the decision to complete them by the end of this year as much as possible. Well, I've resolved to completing three out of the four unfinished stories under my name._**

**_So for my readers who have begged/irked/demanded/ordered me to finish, thanks. I shall try my best and keep writing._**

**_shadowed one_**


	22. Trump Card

_Chapter 22: "Trump Card"_

Kim hardly saw her protector in the following week and a half since the villainess uncovered a potential connection to Balken Steel and his Silver Lifeblood. The redhead didn't want to be separated from her lover, but she knew that it was necessary since things were likely to take a turn for the worse. Shego often left her at home with strict orders to stay at home and to only head outside if she's with her contingent of Global Justice agents or with Will Du. The star agent of Global Justice didn't seem to mind that he was relegated to guard duty. He seemed to understand that it was necessary since it was Kim Possible who had the best chance of bringing down Balken Steel's reign of terror.

The trial of Senator Hartmann and his cronies was coming to an end so work was now being done to find all afflicted people who had Balken Steel's technology in their system. Thanks to the combined efforts of the team of scientists from Global Justice and representatives from MCO, they found a way to extract the Silver Lifeblood from the human system. It was a long, tedious and often painful task since the technology seemingly made it difficult for the scientists to extract it, sometimes taking days until they were sure that nothing remained in their patient's system. Worse, they had few people and resources to carry out a major extraction operation. The task force could only accommodate treatment for ten to fifteen people per day. Affected people clamored to be treated first and often caused trouble at the makeshift treatment center Global Justice set up. It came to a point where Betty had to deploy an anti-riot force to ensure the safety and security of her team of scientists and doctors, and that of the public.

The teen heroine spent most her time studying everything that she could about Balken Steel and the Silver Lifeblood since she found herself staying at headquarters for most of the day. It soothed her a bit when she was told that Wade and a select number of specialists were juicing up her battle suit and other equipment. She didn't stand a chance against the cyborg without any equipment on her, but at least with her battle suit, she would hopefully withstand a beating or two. Going home at the end of the day had become an ordeal for her. At first, she thought she could do as Shego said and just ignore the people who usually swarmed her once she stepped outside, but it proving to be taxing for her both her body and spirit. Why did they have to act like it was the end of the world? She just happened to fall in love and she couldn't help it if the person she ended up falling for was her arch nemesis, considered one of the most dangerous villains in the world, and just happened to be a woman as well. The things that came out of people's mouth were starting to get ridiculous particularly one man's outcry that her choosing to become a lesbian brought about the whole Balken Steel incident in the first place. After hearing that remark and several other similar ones, Kim decided that she wasn't going to willingly step out into the public until she had dealt with Balken Steel. Thankfully, Betty helped her each time she went home by letting her take the organization's stealth jet and dropped her off on the roof of Shego's apartment.

Kim looked forward to nothing else than being reunited with her protector, but even then, she realized that her lover was very serious with her work and was often cooped up in her cluttered study poring over files and writing down useful notes. Every time she asked if she's come closer to getting Langsley, Shego would always reply that she needed more information. She kept insisting that Shego tell her what she was doing, but the villainess refused and explained that Kim had other things to focus on and worry about. She simply didn't want to add to the already heavy burden her charge was carrying. The only other time she could forget about everything that was happening was when she shared Shego's bed. Her protector continued to be a passionate lover and always managed to make her mindless about everything except for pleasure. Still, she knew that she could never forget about her duties and the impossible encounter with Balken Steel.

* * *

"You're leaving?" Kim demanded, watching as Shego quickly packed a duffel bag with spare clothes and some necessary equipment in their bedroom. It was seven in the evening and they just had dinner when Shego received a message, which was the cause of what was happening now.

Shego could hear the worry in her lover's voice and knew that she had to soothe Kim's nerves before she actually left. "It's only going to take a couple of days," she assured the redhead who was pacing the floor. "I finally got a hit from all the research I've been doing on Langsley."

"Why only now? Didn't you mention that his daughter studies in the same prep school your brothers go to?" Kim reminded her lover, hearing her voice getting higher in pitch as it usually does whenever she got anxious. "If she studies in Go City then obviously her parents should be in the area as well!"

"That isn't the case unfortunately," Shego calmly told the heroine. Raising her voice at Kim was just going to agitate her further and make it even more difficult for her to leave. "Neil Sharper aka Robert Langsley and his wife Loraine Sharper live in San Francisco while their daughter dorms at the prep school," she explained. "Allison Sharper is an incoming senior and the incoming captain of the girls' lacrosse team."

"How did you exactly get that information?" Kim sat down heavily on the bed and kept watch on her lover.

"About Allison?" Shego asked without looking up from her packing. "The twins told me. Apparently, she's the second most popular girl in their school although she's shy and doesn't look down on her fellow students." She straightened from her packing and double checked everything that had gone into her bag. "I hacked into the school's database with some help from the boys and found out who her parents are and where she lives. I had the address in California checked and it's legit."

"And you're just going to fly over there and confront Langsley?" Kim shook her head knowing that the villainess was most likely going to do that.

"And make a fuss and have the police at my tail?" Shego retorted. "I'll scout out the family first from a distance then plan my next move from there." She finally zipped her bag closed and slung the bag onto her shoulder. "I'd like to confront Langsley one-on-one as much as possible," she explained to Kim then smirked. "Very much unlike what you think of my plans, I really do prefer the peaceful method first."

Kim scowled and jumped off the bed. "If the peaceful method fails then?" She followed Shego out of the room and down to the first floor.

"The usual Shego way then," Shego easily replied. "Scaring the shit out of him will be faster, but it's going to draw a lot of attention." Going into the garage, she proceeded to secure her bag on her motorcycle then grabbed her helmet on the shelf. Tucking the helmet against her waist, she paused and seriously looked at Kim. "You'll do as I say while I'm away?"

The redhead stamped her foot and angrily scowled up at her lover. "I'm not a child, Shego," she snapped at the older woman.

"I know you're not," Shego patiently replied. "Just stay out of trouble and make sure those Global Justice agents are with you at all times." With her free arm, she snaked it around Kim's waist and pulled her in close. Nuzzling Kim's neck, she breathed in Kim's heady scent as they embraced. "I'll be back before you known it," she assured Kim as she pulled back and thoroughly kissed her lover.

"Don't stay away too long," Kim said as Shego let go of her and mounted her bike. "I need you with me."

Shego let out a muffled laugh since she had her helmet on. "You're just going to be lonely without me beside you in bed."

"Get going already!" Kim strode forward and as a parting shot, she slapped Shego's lower back. She watched as Shego blew her a kiss, which looked quite strange since the helmet was in the way, then roared out of the garage.

* * *

"You're operating on a time limit here, understand?" Betty shouted to be heard over the loud roar of the transport jet that was going to deliver Shego to California. "You've got three days to see what you can get from Langsley! Your transport will pick you up at noon on Friday." The director gestured at the jet. "If anything comes up, contact us and this same jet will rendezvous with you wherever you're located."

Shego nodded and tossed duffel bag up to the pilot. "Make sure that Kim is safe. Now would probably be the best opportunity for Balken Steel to attack since I won't be around."

Betty clapped Shego on the shoulder. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out on things," she said, smiling wryly at the not so subtle pun she just used at her expense. "Get going and make sure you give me a report once you're done with Langsley."

"Got it," Shego agreed then jumped into the already hovering jet. Seeing the empty seat next to the pilot, the villainess strapped herself in and grabbed a headset. "Let's get a move on," she told the pilot who gunned the thrusters and got them to cruising altitude. "Travel time?"

"About two hours at top speed," the pilot promptly answered. "You'll be doing a HALO jump once we're over San Francisco. We won't be able to utilize the military airfields and the airport since you want to get into the city unnoticed."

"That sounds good," Shego agreed. "I've done the HALO jump several times so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Roger that."

As the villainess made herself comfortable for the remainder of the flight, she pulled out her dual communications and personal computer device. Once the holographic screen materialized in front of her, she began to review the information she gathered recently. According to her research and some spy-work from a couple of trusted sources she frequently used back when she was still employed with Draken, the Sharper family was complete for the summer. Allison Sharper was picked up by her father after the school year ended and they both flew back to San Francisco to enjoy the summer vacation as a family. Shego accessed the personal file of Neil Sharper and read through it. Langsley was still moonlighting as a medical doctor. He was a surgeon at a private hospital in San Francisco. His wife however was a stay-at-home mom who didn't have to find work since her husband's income was more than enough to support their household. This time, Shego accessed a satellite to show her an overhead view of the neighborhood the Sharpers lived in. It was obviously an expensive and upscale area, but she wasn't too surprised since Langsley was a surgeon. Shego had to wonder if Langsley received any of the tainted money coming from the sale of the Silver Lifeblood, but she decided against it. His name would have been uncovered by the director when she accused the senator and his cronies. Plus, he resigned and left MCO before the Silver Lifeblood went into the market.

By the time Shego went through all the important information and files she had on Langsley, the pilot was telling her to get into position and to put on her gear. Shego unstrapped herself from her seat and moved to the back of the jet where she donned the typical gear for such a jump, which included a helmet, parachute, oxygen pack and some other equipment. She also strapped her duffel bag onto the bottom of her parachute then double-checked everything once more. Seeing that she was ready, she signaled to the pilot who opened the side door, buffeting Shego with air.

"When you're ready," the pilot said.

Shego didn't bother to wait and simply leaped out of the aircraft. As if it was just mere routine, she tucked her arms against her side and arrowed her way through the darkness. Once she saw reached the designated altitude, she leveled out her body then deployed her parachute. Drifting down towards the brightly colored lights of San Francisco city, Shego steered herself towards her landing point: an old abandoned warehouse and lot on the outskirts of the city. Landing went without a hitch except for the fact that the lot wasn't as abandoned as she thought. A pair of homeless men standing around a fire screamed as she dropped from the sky. They ran off still screaming about green aliens dropping from the sky, which assured Shego that they weren't going to be a problem. Disposing her HALO jump gear, Shego slung her duffel bag onto her back then slapped on her skin-tone changing patch. Seeing that the homeless men made a big deal about her green skin, she figured that she should keep a low profile while she's in the vicinity. Next, she walked into the empty warehouse and changed into civilian clothing. She wanted to stick with her racing suit and leather jacket, but since she's been all over the news lately and people were bound to recognize her even with the skin-tone changing patch. She came back out wearing tight black jeans, a white tank top, the leather jacket Kim gave her and partially laced combat boots. She also tied her hair up into a loose low bun and wore her usual shades as well.

Looking at the holographic screen of her communications device, she quickly got her bearings and headed towards an upscale motel, which was going to serve as her temporary base. She entered the motel at exactly ten-thirty in the evening and the receptionist immediately looked apprehensive because of her appearance.

"How can I help you?" the man nervously asked.

"Got a room?" Shego bluntly inquired.

The man quickly checked his computer then nodded at Shego. "The only free room we have is the suite," he told his customer who rummaged through her duffel bag and brought out a bulging envelope.

"I'll take it," Shego replied. "How much for three nights?"

The receptionist quickly computed the amount and presented it to the intimidating woman before him. "Four hundred fifty-three dollars including tax," he informed her. His eyes nearly popped out of its sockets when he saw his customer open the envelope and count out the amount needed from the thick stack of money within the envelope.

"Keep the change," Shego pushed five one hundred dollar bills across the table. "If I stay any longer, I'll be sure to pay each night I extend."

The receptionist gulped hard, took the money then handed over the suite card key to his guest. "Your suite is up on the third floor and it's the first door to the right. There's also a kitchenette inside so you can cook your own food if you wish."

Shego merely nodded her head in assent then made her way up to her room. Once she unlocked the door and got inside, the undercover villainess switched on the light and dropped her bag onto the king-sized bed. Everything seemed in order and quite decent so she decided to head out to grab a bite to eat and maybe a drink then do a preliminary check of the Sharpers' neighborhood. Keeping the lights and air-conditioning on, she locked her room and headed out to town. Strolling down the street, she ran through her plans in her head. If she was correct, the neighborhood was around two miles east from her motel. Since it was an upscale neighborhood, it would have been suspicious if she had a look around in the open. The residents would probably call police and she didn't want that. It only meant that she had to stick to the shadows and to the roofs. Her nose and grumbling stomach brought her to a small Cajun-style restaurant, which she decided would do for a late night meal and a couple of alcoholic drinks.

"Welcome!" A bearded man who was probably the owner of the establishment walked over to Shego with a huge grin on his face. "Sit anywhere you like and just holler for me when you're ready to order. Menu is on the table."

Slightly taken aback by how jovial the man was, Shego forced a smile back then moved through the crowded establishment until she found a vacant table in the corner. Just as the owner said, the menu was on the table although it was more of a dirty scrap of paper taped on the surface. Still, she looked over it and decided what she was going to have.

"So what can I get for you?" The owner had suddenly appeared at her table side with a pen and note pad.

"What's your specialty?" Shego asked.

"Well since you're eating by yourself, I'd say go for our Jambalaya and spicy catfish fritters," the owner recommended.

"I'll have those then," Shego agreed, unzipping her leather jacket and easing it off her shoulders. She could tell that while she did that, many of the other diners had turned to watch. Ignoring the looks she was getting, she hung her jacket on the back of a spare chair then looked once more at the still hovering owner. "What?"

"How about a drink?"

"Beer."

"What kind?"

Shego sighed and impatiently tapped her fingers against the table. "You tell me then," she told the owner, who didn't seem at all intimidated by her.

"How about a Turbodog?"

Shego blinked and flipped her shades up to the top of her head, revealing her emerald green eyes. "A turbo what?"

"Turbodog!" the owner cheerfully repeated. "Trust me! It's good and it'll go well with your food!" With a smile, he scurried off towards the noisy kitchen. A minute later, a waiter approached her table with an ice cold Turbodog which turned out to be a dark brown ale. He set the bottle and a tall beer glass on the bottle before popping the cap off the beer then leaving.

Curious, Shego poured the beer into the glass then took a sip of it. "Pretty good…" Shego murmured as she drank more of it. "Smoother than I thought," she added, emptying the rest of the beer into her glass then downing everything in one go. She raised the empty bottle into the air and signaled the waiter to get her another one.

Halfway through her second drink, the owner came back to her table toting the two dishes he recommended. "One Jambalaya and one spicy catfish fritters," he announced, plunking the overloaded plates onto the table. "Enjoy your meal and just holler if you need anything else."

Shego was glad that the overly upbeat owner decided not to hover over her while she consumed her food. The portions were definitely going to feed three people or so, but Shego was one of those select few who could wolf down a large amount of food and never gain any weight from it. Thirty minutes later and third bottle of beer down, Shego was just about done with the joint. After paying the bill, she was set to get to her feet when another waiter scurried towards her and thrust a cocktail at her.

"It's from him," the waiter said, pointing at man across the room then left to attend to the other guests.

Shego looked at the drink and realized that it was a Sex on the Beach. She let out a disdainful sigh and placed the drink onto her vacated table. The man who had supposedly sent her the drink was watching her from his spot on the other side of the room. Flipping her shades back down to cover her eyes, the villainess glided towards the exit only to be met by her admirer. "What do you want?" she asked, not masking her boredom and disinterest.

"It would be a waste of a good drink and a waste of the night, you know," the man told her, giving her a lecherous smile.

This time around, Shego really did look at him. About three inches taller than she was, he looked out of place with the oversized basketball jersey, baggy jeans and serious fake bling. It was clear to Shego that this guy was a poser and he was probably hiding the weak and skinny body he had underneath all the clothing. Worse, he was still a kid probably a couple of years older than Kim. "I hate to burst your bubble, but then again why should I care?" she dryly asked. "I don't like sweet cocktails and sending me a Sex on the Beach is the lamest thing to do if you want to hit on girls."

The kid was undaunted by Shego's treatment. "Come on babe, I'll show you a good time." He moved in closer and tried to snake his skinny arms around Shego. His friends sitting around the closest table all whistled and hooted to encourage him.

"We can show you a good time too!" one of them called.

"One-on-one wouldn't be too fun anyway," another added.

Shego smiled, knowing that this would make the kid think that she was accepting his offer. She let him get his arms around her enough before she made her move. Grabbing the front of his jersey with her left hand, she then thrust her right hand up and against the kid's stomach. Even without using her powers, she was able to flip the gaudily dressed kid feet over head. The smile on her face stayed on as she watched his body sail downward and slam hard onto the table he shared with his friends, scattering glasses, drinks and plates of food.

"Bitch!" Three of them stood and approached her with raised fists.

Shego shrugged and lowered herself into a fighting stance as she waited for them to get within striking distance. "I would have to agree," she suddenly said as her first opponent got in front of her. She snapped her leg up and delivered a roundhouse kick to the face, which sent him flying to the side. Grinning now, she turned towards the remaining two kids who decided to come at her at once. "One-on-one is definitely not as fun!" She dodged the clothesline of the first attacker, sliding to the side then delivering a gut wrenching knee to his middle. As that one doubled over in pain, Shego caught the punch of the last thug then using his momentum, she flipped him onto his back, which knocked the breath out of him.

"You're going to die, bitch!"

Shego turned to see the cocky kid who just hit on her draw a gun from his back pocket and point its muzzle at her. Before she could react properly, a half-filled bottle of beer smashed onto his head, promptly knocking him out. Raising an eyebrow at what just happened, she saw that the owner was responsible for the beer bottle head smash.

"Sorry about that, but I didn't want them to bother you and the other customers anymore," he explained, still annoyingly cheerful. "Plus, I didn't your scuffle to break anything else. I've got bills to pay after all!"

Shego nodded and relaxed. "Sorry," she muttered, reaching inside her leather jacket for more money. "I could pay-"

"You don't have to. I'll make these dumbasses pay or else I'll call the cops." The owner scowled at the groaning men before him. "Come by again sometime if you have the chance."

The disguised villainess nodded and strode out of the restaurant and was glad that she was outside and alone once more. Even in disguise, people still made a fuss because of her. Going to a secluded spot down the road, she checked her communications device again to see if she was going the right direction of the Sharpers neighborhood. She had to go through the strip of bars and clubs first before she would reach more suburban areas. "Damn it," Shego cursed to herself. "I knew I should have brought my bike." She knew better of course, her bike was loud and noticeable and that simply meant that she wouldn't be able to lay low with it.

Half an hour of walking later, Shego's communicator told her that she was less than a mile away from her intended destination. Even in the dimly lit streets, she could tell that she was entering a residential area. Pausing in a shadowed part of the street, Shego checked the best route for her to take. She was going through the directions one more time when she heard the distinct sound of men laughing from afar. Pocketing the device, Shego sneaked her way towards the sounds and hid behind a tree several feet away. Peering around the trunk, her sharp emerald green eyes took in the sight of four thugs surrounding a young woman.

"Not my business," Shego murmured to herself. She changed her mind almost immediately when she caught a quick glimpse of the fear-stricken woman's face. "Langsley's daughter?" Shego leaned back against the tree and quickly rethought her plans. She had only meant to scout out the Sharpers home then figure out a way to arrange a meeting with Langsley, but she was given an opportunity at that very moment. It was rather simple: to get Langsley, she had to get close to his daughter first. Smiling to herself, Shego limbered up her body in preparation for a fight then walked away from her hiding place. Confidence lined her body, which immediately drew the attention of the thugs.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the thugs asked.

Shego shrugged her shoulders then tipped her shades down to eye the raven-haired Allison Sharper. The young woman was obviously in a predicament and was in serious need of rescuing. Her silvery-gray eyes pleaded with her to do something. "I'm just passing by," she told the hardy group of men.

One thug reached out and roughly shoved at her. "So go pass by then," he hissed.

Shaking her head that this was going to be the second time this night, Shego grabbed hold of the thug's arm twisted it into a very painful angle. She made sure not to break anything, but she put enough force into the move to painfully pull some muscles. "Picking on a lone girl isn't exactly a manly thing," she informed the thugs who left Allison Sharper alone and advanced towards the woman pale woman wearing a leather jacket. "Alright, I'll be the gentleman then," she told them. "I'm giving you the chance to walk away now before I actually hurt you."

"You have no chance of winning against us!"

Shego smirked. "Suit yourselves," she replied, darting forward like lightning to engage the three uninjured attackers. It was quick work even though she didn't have to use her powers. She was after all a master of hand-to-hand combat and these bumbling fools were all the same when it came to fighting her. Twenty seconds was all it took for her completely knock out the three attackers. The first one she dispatched was trying to crawl away, but she caught him by the back of his shirt and prevented his escape. Smiling at the cowering man before her, she said, "When you wake up, you're going to remember this happened and that you and your friends won't ever pick on a defenseless girl ever again."

"O-Of course!" the coward blurted out his agreement. "We won't ever do it again!" He suddenly frowned and looked up into Shego's face. "Wait… what do you mean when I wake-"

Before he could finish his question, Shego delivered a hard punch to the side of the man's jaw, effectively knocking him out cold. Dusting off her hands and arms, Shego looked over her work with satisfaction. She had done it efficiently, which mattered a lot to her because she hated doing sloppy work. Turning around, she found Allison Sharper looking at her from a behind a lamp post a several feet away. "They won't be bothering you anymore," Shego called out to the young woman who flinched at the sound of her voice.

"You killed them?" Allison demanded.

Shego rolled her eyes up. Why do they always have to assume that when she fought, she always fought to kill? "No, I didn't kill them. They're just knocked out," Shego retorted. "You looked like you needed help so I came over to give it." She shoved her hands into her pockets and walked over to Allison who didn't seem inclined to move from her position. "What's a girl like you walking alone at this time of night?"

Allison frowned and furrowed her eyebrows at the question. "I was at a party with a bunch of friends from middle school. It was a reunion of some sort at an under eighteen club."

"So why'd you leave?"

"They started bringing out drugs and booze," Allison simply replied. "I didn't want to get involved so I left, but since my ride home decided to get high and drunk, I had no choice but to walk."

Underneath the dim lighting of the lamp post, Shego subtly took in the appearance of Allison. This was the first time she had an up-close and personal look at Langsley's daughter. "Why didn't you call your parents to pick you up then?" God, she sounded like an overprotective and overbearing parent.

"They know that I'm at a friend's house for a sleepover." She snapped her head around when she heard one of the thugs groan. They were starting to come around.

Shego could tell that this was distressing the girl. "Where do you live?"

Allison took a nervous step back. "Why should I tell you?"

Shego rolled her eyes up in exasperation. Couldn't the girl take the hint that she was a good person after coming to her rescue? "Because I'm going to walk you home," Shego patiently answered. "Not unless you want to encounter any more trouble if you walk back alone."

The raven-haired student hesitated for moment then nodded her head in agreement. "It's not far off from here." She started walking east. "So who are you anyway?"

"Logan Kane," Shego answered, using her usual alias. "And you?" she asked, even though she already knew who her companion was.

"Allison Sharper," the raven-haired girl replied. "Are you from San Francisco?"

Shego shook her head. "I'm just visiting," she explained, pulling up her formulated alibis from her mind. "I'm a motorcycle enthusiast and there's this big motorcycle show downtown that I'm planning to attend." She really wasn't lying since there was such a show happening. "I'm here for a couple of days before I head back home."

"If the show's downtown, why are you in this area?"

"Lodging is cheaper outside of the city," Shego coolly replied. "I just had a late dinner and a couple of beers at some Cajun restaurant when I saw that you were in trouble."

"How did you learn to fight like that?" Allison asked, giving the taller and older woman a suspicious look. "You took care of those thugs so quickly."

This time, Shego answered truthfully. "Aside from motorcycles, I took an interest in martial arts when I was younger. I learned a couple of styles as I was growing up."

"Like?" Allison prodded.

Shego tried not to frown at how nosy this girl was being. "Muay Thai, Jiu-Jistu, Karate and a bunch of other styles that I only learned the basics of."

"I probably should have taken up those karate lessons back when I was a kid," Allison wryly said. "I probably would have been able to defend myself in that situation earlier if I had."

"Probably not," Shego pointed out. "Four against one is still too big an odds for a girl like you to win." She wasn't being mean just realistic. "Self-defense works best after all if you're able to avoid getting into trouble in the first place." She was getting annoyed at having to squint through the darkness with her shades on. She finally decided that she wouldn't jeopardize her identity and removed her shades, locking eyes with those silvery eyes. "Next time, be sure you have company if you decide to go walking at this time of the night. You made yourself an easy target by deciding to walk home."

Allison's shoulders drooped. "Oh I know… I was stupid, okay?" They reached a gated community and stepped up to a number panel mounted on the wall. "Hold on for a second." She tapped out a code and pressed her thumb against a small scanner. A few seconds later, the gate swung open and they walked inside.

"Nice neighborhood you got here," Shego remarked, memorizing her surroundings and the way they were taking to get to Allison's home.

The raven-haired girl grimaced. "I'm not spoiled rich kid," she said defensively. "My dad just happens to be a successful surgeon that's why we can afford to live here."

Shego turned away and hid a grin. For some reason, this girl reminded her of Kim in a way. "Don't like it when people keep pointing out that you're rich?"

"That's always the first thing they notice about you," Allison answered, turning left on a street named Lionsway. She pointed at a large two-story house on the right. "That's my house," she told Shego. "I've got to sneak in through the back." She and her rescuer stopped on the sidewalk directly in front of the house. "Ummm… thanks for saving me. I wish I could repay you somehow."

_You already have. _Shego smiled and told the girl to forget about repaying her.

"Are you sure? Why don't you give me your number and I'll take you out for lunch or-"

A gasp pierced through the dead silence and interrupted Allison. Both Shego and Allison turned towards the front door and saw a woman with dark brown hair glaring at them. "Come inside right this instant, Allison!" she angrily ordered then turned to the leather clad woman. "And you, I'm going to call the police!"

Allison ran up to the woman and stopped her from going back inside. "Mom! It's okay! She's a friend!"

Loraine Sharper gasped once more. "Friend?" she repeated in a shocked voice. "What kind of friends are you making these days?" she demanded.

"Mom! She's not really a friend!" Allison tried to explain. "She saved me a while ago from some guys who were trying to-" She clamped her mouth shut and realized that the gig was up. Her mother now knew that she really wasn't at a friend's house for a sleepover.

Loraine narrowed her eyes at her deeply red daughter then looked at her daughter's rescuer who politely stood her ground on the sidewalk. "Well… since it looks like she's telling the truth about you, I would like to thank you." She gestured for her daughter to go inside then did the same with the stranger. "Please come in so that I could thank you properly."

Shego hesitated to not look suspicious then cautiously made her way to the door and entered the Sharper's abode. "I'm sorry for intruding at this time of the night," she apologized, following the mother and daughter into the well-furnished living room. The villainess didn't feel apologetic at all. In fact, she was quite delighted at how conveniently things were falling into place.

"Don't be," Loraine insisted. "You saved my daughter after all." She shot another angry look at her shame-faced daughter. "So where were you really?" she asked Allison.

"At a club with some of my friends," Allison softly admitted.

"And you were-"

"I didn't drink or even take any of those drugs!" Allison vehemently denied the unfinished accusation. "Gary was supposed to take me home, but he started drinking. I didn't want to stay there any longer so I decided to walk home."

Loraine let out a huff. "And that's when you were attacked?"

"About to get attacked," Allison corrected. "Logan got in their way." She eyed her straight-faced rescuer and noticed how beautiful her eyes were. They were like emeralds with lightning sparking within. Before her mom could ask, she explained, "Logan not from around here. She came to see the motorcycle show being held downtown."

Tiredly sighing, Loraine thanked the stranger one more time. "I'm glad that you were near enough to help my daughter. Children really do just get more troublesome as they get older." She shook her head then looked at her teenaged daughter. "You do know that you're going to be grounded for the next month?"

Allison groaned, but decided not to argue with her mother. "Are you going to tell dad?"

"He'll have to know."

"Where is he anyway? Is he sleeping?"

Loraine shook her head. "Your father got called to the hospital to handle an emergency surgery. He probably won't be back until tomorrow morning." She furrowed her eyebrows at what she just said. "I really wish he didn't have to go out so late even though he's duty bound to save lives. Things are just getting more dangerous."

Allison looked at her mother. "Is this about that cyborg the news keeps talking about? He's been causing mass panic across the country."

For a split second, Shego saw panic form in Loraine's eyes. She wasn't sure if that was significant since most people would probably react the same way if Balken Steel was being talked about.

"Never mind that cyborg," Loraine snapped. "I don't want you ever putting yourself in danger like that again!" She bore down on her daughter for emphasis. "Understand?"

Shego frowned and became certain that something was off with Loraine's reaction. Could she possibly know the real identity of her husband and that he was somehow connected to Balken Steel? When Loraine straightened after finishing scolding her daughter, the undercover villainess got a good look at the older woman's appearance. She was unremarkable and looked like the average middle-aged woman, but there was something pulling in Shego's gut as she gazed at Allison's mother… like a faded memory of some sort.

"Where are you staying, Miss Logan?" Loraine interrupted Shego's turbulent thoughts. "I could call a taxi and have you brought there."

Shego shook her head and got to her feet. "I'll walk back. It's not that far and I really do enjoy the night air." She nodded at Allison and thanked Loraine for inviting her into her home. "I'll let myself out." She politely returned the goodbyes from mother and daughter then exited the house. She made sure that she was several yards away before she bolted into the shadows and up onto the roofs. As she ran and jumped from building to building, she started collating everything that happened that night so that she could easily prepare the report she was going to send to the director.

Back in her room at the motel, Shego took a quick shower then settled herself on her bed with her communications device set on the bed in front of her with an enlarged holographic screen hovering above it. It was close to three in the morning when she finally finished her report and sent it back to Global Justice. She needed to salvage what remained of the night and rest, but her chance encounter with Allison Sharper and her mother Loraine kept her thinking. Loraine in particular had given off a very peculiar vibe.

"I won't be able to sleep unless I get to the bottom of this," Shego growled to herself, bending over the edge of the bed so that she could rummage through her duffel bag. She pulled out a particular memory disk and plugged it into her device. She immediately opened the file on Robert Langsley and scoured through it one more time. The first time she went through the doctor's file, she had only skimmed it for details that were related to Balken Steel and the Silver Lifeblood. Now she took a closer look at the information on the screen and frowned at what she was reading. "He wasn't married at all back when he was still at MCO," Shego murmured to herself. "So he got married when he went missing and got back to a normal life under a different name."

Next, she opened the file on Loraine Sharper, but grew even more suspicious at the lack of details. It just didn't make any sense. Was she and Allison merely hired actors to give Langsley cover? Feeling very frustrated, Shego threw her damp towel onto the floor and swiped at the holographic screen. She got off the bed and was about to head into the bathroom to brush her teeth when she saw that the screen was now showing a random file with a faded photograph. Turning back, Shego leaned closer and came close to shouting. The photo on the screen showed a couple with a young girl standing between them. The man in the picture had raven-black hair, steely-gray eyes and a square chin. The woman, his wife, was a plain looking woman with dark brown hair and a happy smile. Shego immediately knew that the man in the photo was Balken Steel or what he used to be before becoming a rogue cyborg. She also realized who the woman was, but it was the young girl standing between the husband and wife that made her grow cold with shock. The little girl was truly her father's daughter with the same raven-black tresses and silvery-gray eyes.

Hell… she had just rescued and talked to Balken Steel's dead daughter.


	23. Ambush

**_Chapter 23: "Ambush"_**

"_This is more than the 'development' you mentioned in your second report."_

"What else was I supposed to call it, one-eye?" Shego drawled, laying back on her bed. "It just developed like that before my eyes and I never expected it to happen! It was by chance that I saw that dated photograph of Balken Steel and his family."

"_Are you certain that the girl is Balken Steel's child?"_

Shego frowned. "Sure enough," she answered. "She's a damned carbon copy of Balken Steel." Through the closed blinds, Shego knew that it was midmorning. She had stayed up late making another report to send to the director. The Global Justice boss called her as soon as she got the report. "It's unlikely that she's a mere clone. The technology hasn't even been perfected as you've seen with my former employer's past efforts." She couldn't help but smile with the mishaps Draken had gone through when he tried to create an army of Kim Possible clones. "There's just one thing that's been keeping me in the dark until now…"

"_What's that?"_

"Allison Sharper or should I say Allison Wainwright genuinely doesn't seem to know that her father is Balken Steel," Shego told her temporary employer. "From the short time I've spent with her, it looks like she really does believe that Langsley is her father."

"_And her mother?"_

Shego shrugged. "She's the biological mother for sure," she replied. "The photo was a dead giveaway especially for her." A sigh escaped the villainess' lips. "I need more information," she grunted. "There are just too many blanks in this story. How the hell did Langsley end up marrying Balken Steel's wife, bring his daughter back to life and alter her memories?"

"_Like you, I have the same questions, but I have too many things in my hands for the moment to find those answers."_ The director paused. _"As much as I would like to give you more time to get to Langsley, I can't give you an extension. You're needed more here especially with the reports we've been getting."_

"What reports?" Shego demanded, immediately worrying about Kim.

"_Extraction of the Silver Lifeblood has been painfully slow-going. The doctors and scientists are working round the clock doing their best to get the technology out of as many people as possible _and _find a more efficient and painless way to do it."_

"Just spit it out already!"

"_Strange symptoms have been appearing on those with the Silver Lifeblood still in them,"_ Betty anxiously explained. _"No one has died yet, but people are starting to panic. So far, we've gotten reports of people experiencing partial paralysis, blood-poisoning, burst blood vessels, dysentery and a lot of other not too fatal symptoms."_

Shego was frowning so hard, she could almost hear her furrowed eyebrows clicking. "He's making his move," she easily guessed, not hiding the anger in her voice. "He's mocking us, one-eye. He could easily program his invention to instantly kill the recipients, but he's drawing it out as painfully as possible."

"_The reconnaissance team is working nonstop in pinpointing the cyborg's location. Once we get a valid hit, you and Kim will storm his base along with a select number of Global Justice operatives. Do what you can with Langsley within the time limit. Threaten him for all I care because I have this gut feeling that he's more than just the right-hand man of Balken Steel."_

"How about Allison?"

"_If you can convince her about her past and she accepts the truth, then maybe we could use her against her father. It's not exactly honorable, but we aren't left with much of a choice."_

Shego nodded and got to her feet. Right now, she couldn't waste time. She had to meet with Langsley as soon as possible. "I'll do my best," she said, halting for a moment as she thought.

"_Shego? Is there anything else?"_

"Yeah… don't tell Kim about this," Shego said, knowing that the director was probably surprised at her sudden request.

"_But why? It would greatly benefit her if she knew about Allison!"_

"Don't bite my head off," Shego scoffed at the rising tone of voice the director was using on her. "Kim has too much on her shoulders now. Obviously, everybody expects her to be the one to stop Balken Steel, but the pressure is too much." Shego sighed and thought about her recent encounter with Allison. "I have a strong feeling that Balken Steel's daughter will be in denial and might refuse helping us at all."

"_And how does this still relate to Kim?"_

"I don't want to give her any false hopes," Shego replied. "There's too much shit going on in that head of hers and if I add Allison into the picture, it will most likely put her at a disadvantage when she goes up against the cyborg." Shego glanced at her wrist watch and decided that if she wanted to track down Langsley, she'd best start now. "It's better to stay quiet since we aren't even assured that Langsley and Allison will help us."

Betty let out a defeated sigh. _"As much as I want to argue, I understand your intentions of keeping this from Kim. Very well, stick with your assignment then. Report to me if anything important comes up."_

Shego agreed, ended the conversation then began to get ready. Her underground sources had informed her that Langsley and his family were attending a picnic sponsored by the surgery department of the private hospital he worked in. While she gathered her equipment and packed her things just in case she needed to make a quick getaway, she noticed several annoying buzzing sounds. She chose to ignore it first, but when she felt the stings to her bared arms and neck, she did take the time to find out what was biting her. To her dismay, mosquitoes were flying around her motel room and she had gotten several bites. She immediately called the front desk and demanded that they clean up the room while she was gone.

"I might as well go to a clinic and get some shots just in case," Shego muttered to herself as she idly scratched at the raised bumps on her flesh. She was after all still prone to getting sick despite the powers she had. She knew very well that mosquito bites may develop into dengue fever or malaria and she'd rather not get sick especially with the situation as it is. Dressed in tight jeans, a green tank top, combat boots, leather jacket, and her ever reliable skin tone alteration patch Shego headed out of her room and to the front desk. She repeated her request to the nervous receptionist then asked where the nearest clinic was, which was just a couple of blocks away. It took less than thirty minutes to explain her case to the doctor in charge and got the necessary shots.

"Is there anything else you require Miss Kane?" the doctor asked Shego who was putting her jacket back on after allowing the shot to be done on her arm.

Shego shook her head. "Nothing else," she replied, soon changing her mind. "Actually, do you know any car and motorcycle rentals nearby?"

The doctor frowned. "I'm not sure…" she walked over to the door and stuck her head outside. "Ben! Are there any nearby car or motorcycle rentals?"

"There's one on Mcduff street, but they rent out luxury models and the like."

"That will do," Shego said, getting the address from the doctor's assistant then heading out of the clinic. Once she found the place, she immediately made a beeline for the motorcycles for rent. She settled for a Triumph Daytona bike and helmet then paid the clerk in full, promising to return the bike the following day. Now that she had a ride, it was much easier to get to the public park where the hospital picnic was being held. All she had to do was figure out how she was going to explain her presence at the event. Once she cruised into the parking lot and secured the rented motorcycle, Shego ambled down the path towards a large crowd at the other end of the field. Stopping for a moment beneath the shade of a tree, she scanned the crowd and immediately picked out Allison and her mother Loraine sitting among mothers and daughters. It took another few sweeps before she finally identified Langsley who was manning the grill with a few other men. The surgeon, despite the change in name, looked exactly like he did in the photos she dug up from MCO's database. He looked very much at ease for the moment as he cheerfully talked to his colleagues.

Shego was thinking about how she could get up close and personal without making anyone suspicious when a football thumped against the ground in front of her.

"Hey! Pass us the ball!" a young man waved at Shego. He and a group of boys were playing a friendly game of touch football as others attending the department clinic looked on.

Fixing the shades on her face, Shego bent down and grabbed the football. Sighting at the farthest boy, she wound her arm back and threw a long pass. She watched the ball sail through the air without a wobble and neatly land in the hands of her chosen target.

"Woah! Nice throw lady! Want to play with us?" The boy who had asked her to pass the ball made the suggestion.

"She's on our team!"

"No way! I saw her first so she plays on our team!"

"Boys," Shego interrupted them before the argument could escalate. "I'm actually just walking through and having me join either of the teams will make the competition lopsided."

"Awww!" the boys chorused their disappointment.

"Logan!"

The disguised Shego turned her head and saw Allison Sharper jogging towards her with a smile on her face. _Perfect timing, _Shego thought as she thrust her hands into her pockets and waited for her target to get to her. "Fancy bumping into you here," she remarked as Allison skid to a halt in front of her.

"I should be the one saying that to you!" Allison exclaimed, grinning up at the taller woman. "How was the motorcycle show?"

Shego shrugged. "I've seen better," she replied. She hadn't had the time to go at all, but she'd rather lie than give the truth. It would have made her more suspicious if she had done the latter. "I rented out a motorcycle to do some touring and ended up making a stop here."

"Well, you're just in time for lunch!" Allison hooked her arm around Shego's and towed her towards the crowded picnic benches. "Hey mom! Look who I found!"

Loraine Sharper looked up from her conversation with other women her age and raised her eyebrows at her daughter's company. "Why if it isn't Miss Logan Kane!" She gracefully got to her feet and offered her hand to Shego.

"Hello Mrs. Sharper," Shego politely greeted the woman and firmly shook hands with her. "And please, it's just Logan."

"What brings you to this area? Weren't you going to that motorcycle show in the city?"

"She's already went and didn't find it that interesting so she rented a bike and toured around until she got here," Allison readily answered for Shego, which earned her a disapproving look from her mother. Apparently, Loraine Sharper was quite particular about manners.

"I see…" Loraine remarked. "Let me introduce you to my friends." She named several women her age seated on the nearby benches. "Logan here… ermmm… helped my daughter out of a… potentially sticky situation."

Allison rolled her eyes. "Mom! Why can't you just be straight-forward?" she demanded. She opened her mouth to explain what happened when she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She looked up into the raven-haired woman's emerald green eyes and understood that she shouldn't bother giving details. She sighed instead and said, "Anyway mom, since Logan's here can she join us for lunch?"

Lorraine smiled and gracefully nodded her head in agreement. "You're more than welcome to join us! I'll introduce you to my husband, Allison's father when he's done socializing at the grill."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sharper," Shego extended her gratitude then followed Allison to a vacant picnic table. "You don't look like you're having fun," she told the teenager.

"Who would be when you're stuck with my mom's elitist group of friends?" Allison retorted, shooting a scornful glare at her mom's table. "I'm just glad that you came along."

"So I'm a distraction then?" Shego wryly said.

"What?" Allison had a look of shock on her face. "No Logan! I didn't mean it that way!"

"Relax sweetie, I'm just teasing."

"Sweetie?" Allison blurted out.

Shego grinned. "Sorry, I'm used to calling you young ones by those monikers."

"How old are you anyway? You don't look that old."

"I'm twenty-eight," Shego readily replied, thinking there was no point in lying about her age.

"Are you married?"

Shego had to laugh. "What is this? An in-depth interview?"

Allison grinned and decided that her companion was an astoundingly beautiful woman especially when she laughed. "I'm just curious about you and besides, it beats talking to those dried-up old ladies at the other table."

"I'm certainly more interesting than them," Shego agreed, deciding to entertain the teenager at least until she managed to get to Langsley. "No, I'm not married," she gave her answer to Allison's question.

"Boyfriend then?"

Shego shook her head. "No."

"How strange…" Allison murmured. "You're certainly a woman the men would go after."

"Thanks for the compliment," Shego dryly remarked. "I've certainly been chased after, but the men you refer to ended up either being naïve boys or bumbling idiots." She rested her arms against the table and leaned forward. "It would be a waste of time and effort to even entertain them."

Allison giggled. "Maybe you're just too intimidating."

Shego shrugged. "It's in my character. Why should I change? Don't people say that if you truly love someone, you wouldn't make them change say their looks or personality?"

"That's true… so you're single?"

"For the moment." Shego's gaze left Allison's pretty face and focused on the lanky figure of Langsley. He was still at the grill cavorting with his colleagues. She needed to find a way to get him alone so that she could interrogate him.

"That's my dad over there at the grill," Allison interrupted Shego's thoughts. "He's the head of the surgery department."

"That's a pretty lofty position he holds," Shego remarked, watching Langsley like a hawk.

"Well, he's good at what he does so I guess he's deserving of that position."

"Has your family lived here your whole life?"

Allison nodded. "Well at least since I was born, we've been living here. My mom mentioned that she and my dad met in the east coast then settled here to raise a family."

Alarm bells were already ringing in Shego's mind. "Do you study here then?"

"Just for elementary then my dad shipped me off to a private school in Go City."

"Why so far off?" Shego asked, getting even more suspicious. "There are plenty of good private schools close by."

"No idea, but I didn't refuse since it meant getting away from the both of them." Allison tapped her feet against the ground. "They get so overbearing especially when I got into my teens."

"Aren't all parents like that?"

"Well, my parents are _very _overbearing especially my mom!" Her cellphone started ringing. "Excuse me," she told Shego and walked off to answer her phone.

Shego relaxed and went back to watching Langsley. She found it very strange that he'd send his daughter to Go City when she could have continued her education in the area. Why did he send her to a far-off school? To lessen the attention on himself, his wife and supposed daughter? That made sense at least. Their family was inconspicuous after all. Despite having different names now, Langsley and Lorraine wouldn't garner as much suspicion as husband and wife. It was their daughter who stood out. She didn't look a thing like Langsley. She would bet that many people have gossiped that Allison wasn't the true daughter of Neil Sharper.

"Sorry," Allison said as she rejoined Shego at the table. "My friend was asking if I wanted to visit her in Los Angeles, but I doubt my parents will let me go to her."

"Allison! The food is ready! Bring Logan over here!" Loraine called.

"Shall we eat then?" Allison got to her feet and ambled down the path towards the lengthening line at the makeshift buffet table.

Shego had just gotten a paper plate and was about to help herself to the steaming rack of barbecue ribs when a sudden gust of wind nearly knocked her off her feet. She let go of her plate and braced Allison as the sudden wind continued to buffet them and the rest of the picnic goers.

"What's happening?" Allison shouted to be heard over the wind.

Shego didn't answer but looked up into a seemingly empty sky. Suddenly, the image rippled then revealed a large maroon-colored jet hovering in the air. The bay doors slid open to let familiarly-uniformed men descend to the ground on ropes. They were followed by a diminutive masked man.

"Spread out men and make sure no one escapes!" Doctor Dementor ordered his men who snapped to carry out his order. Dementor clasped his hands behind his back and strolled towards the cowering picnic-goers, looking over each person's face.

Allison tugged at Shego's sleeve. "What are we going to do? Are we going to get killed?" she whispered.

"Hush!" Shego told the terrified girl. Since she was disguised, she highly doubted that Dementor would recognize her. If she had been in her typical racing suit and jacket, he might have recognized her as Kim's protector. What was he doing here anyway? She couldn't understand why he suddenly dropped by to terrorize a hospital staff picnic.

The small criminal passed by Shego and Allison then stopped in front of Neil and Loraine Sharper. "Ah there you are! It took a lot of research to find you Doctor Langsley!"

Langsley and Loraine visibly stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about," Langsley tried to explain. "I'm not Langsley."

Dementor laughed. "Really now? There's no point in lying to me." He brought out his handheld computer and pointed it at Langsley. The device shone a green beam at the frozen Langsley.

"_Confirmed. Doctor Neil Sharper, currently head surgeon. Formerly known as Robert Langsley from Medicinal Cybernetics Organization."_ The device dictated.

Dementor pocketed his computer. "Care to revise your answer then, Doctor Langsley?"

Langsley swallowed hard and pushed his glasses up his nose. "What do you want?" he asked, pushing his wife behind him.

"Why _you,_ of course!" Dementor easily replied. "I am in need of your services particularly your skill in cybernetics."

Langsley frowned and motioned for his wife to move away from him. "I have given up that field years ago."

"But I'm sure your knowledge of the matter hasn't disappeared," Dementor easily replied. "I've heard that you were developing technology that could physically enhance the human body. I wish to have it and implant it in my henchmen."

"There are other technologies you can use," Langsley pointed out.

"True enough, but I prefer internal methods if you know what I mean."

"I'm afraid I cannot help you."

Dementor grinned. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." He raised his hand and signaled his men. "Take the good doctor and take him aboard," he ordered his men. "Actually, let me rephrase that. He's not a good doctor after all from what I've seen in my research."

"Don't insult my father!" Allison shouted, ripping free from Shego's hold to defend her father. "He's the best doctor in the field! He's saved many lives!" She ran over to her father and stood in front of him.

"Allison! No!" Loraine screamed.

"Don't move, Loraine!" Langsley shouted at his wife.

Dementor looked up at the pale raven-haired teenager before him. "Saved many lives you say?" he murmured. "Contrary to your belief, he's contributed to the loss of lives happening now."

"What are you talking about?" Allison demanded, looking at her suddenly guilt-stricken father. "Dad, what is he saying?"

"You've certainly heard about this mad cyborg business, right?" Dementor casually asked, looking at his nails and appreciating the full attention he was getting from the hundred or so people attending the picnic. "Your father was the cyborg's right-hand man back in the day."

"No way! He's always been a surgeon!" Allison insisted.

"His real name is Robert Langsley. He changed his name after his boss's antics at MCO was found out." Dementor shrugged his broad shoulders. "He was the one who ratted him out from what I know and caused him to go rogue as a killer cyborg. You see, I don't only want Langsley's technology to aid in my criminal work. I want his technology as added protection as well from this cyborg and my rival criminals."

"Dad?" Allison looked at her father who turned his head away in shame.

"I'm sorry, Allison."

Dementor clapped his hands. "I'm quickly tiring of all this explaining I had to do. Grab the doctor and let's be off!" He stepped aside as his henchmen strode over and took hold of Langsley's arms.

"No! You can't take him!" Allison threw herself at the closest henchman who easily knocked her aside with a swipe of his arm.

Dementor shook his head at the girl's folly. "I suggest you and the rest of you people to stay still. We only want Langsley. None of you will get hurt."

"I'll tell you who's going to get hurt," a woman's voice drawled. Green energy thudded into the two henchmen holding onto Langsley, which knocked them off their feet.

"Logan?" Allison sat up and stared at the older woman, whose emerald green eyes blazed with anger. Her pale hands were engulfed in the dangerous green energy that just disposed of the henchmen.

"Shego! I should have known!" Dementor cried out. "Langsley is mine!"

Shego grinned. "I don't think so Dementor. As you can see, I was here first. Besides, I need Langsley for far more important purposes." She lunged away as another henchman tried to grapple her. She snapped a hard kick at the man's head then threw more of her green plasma at three other approaching henchmen. It was short and easy work dealing with non-super-powered humans even with their weapons. She knew from experience that Dementor's men weren't a match for her. Soon, all the henchmen were incapacitated leaving their employer cowering before Shego.

"You can have him! That cyborg is going to end up killing him anyway!" Dementor shrieked as he ran towards the rope ladder hanging down from his still hovering jet.

Shego watched as Dementor and his injured henchmen made their escape. As the jet blasted off, the disguised Shego squared her shoulders and looked for Langsley who was subtly trying to make his own escape. "If you don't want the same treatment, I suggest you stand still Langsley," Shego threatened the doctor. Her patience was all used up. The doctor fortunately stopped and slowly turned towards Shego who was striding towards him.

"Please, just let me go," Langsley begged as Shego got to him and grabbed hold of his arm.

"We need to talk. Now," Shego ordered in a steely voice. She started to drag him to a secluded area when Allison and Loraine caught up to them.

"Let go of him!" Allison demanded, dragging at Shego's other arm. "You're a criminal!"

"Don't Allison! She'll hurt you!" Loraine cried out.

Shego had enough. She once more ignited both her hands, quieting her companions. "That's better. Now, if you want to come along for this talk, I want none of this nonsense." She saw both Loraine and Allison nod. She led the family to a vacant picnic table at one corner of the park. She sat Langsley down and waited for his wife and daughter to follow his example. "Let me get straight to the point Doc," Shego began. "I need you to come with me."

Langsley slipped fingers underneath his glasses to rub his eyes. "Why do you need me? You certainly know why I've been in hiding."

"Now is not the time to hide," Shego told him. "Balken Steel is wreaking havoc across the country." She locked eyes with Balken's right-hand man. "People _are _dying and you're the only one who understands the technology behind his Silver Lifeblood."

"He'll kill me," Langsley mournfully said.

"And he has every right to kill you after what you did!" Shego snapped. She pointed at Loraine. "Do you think I don't recognize her?" She then pointed at Allison. "And _her _especially?"

Loraine bit her lip and looked like she was about to burst out into tears. "It's not our fault!"

"Really?" Shego sneered. "Allison there doesn't know anything, huh?"

"What is she talking about? Mom… Dad?" Allison looked at both of her guilt-stricken parents. "Is it true what that criminal said about Dad? He worked with Balken Steel?"

Loraine cringed at the name and turned away to finally cry. Langsley didn't seem to want to explain anything to his daughter.

"Shall I explain then? I'm rather informed after all the research I did," Shego said, waiting for Allison to give her attention. "Your father there worked with Doctor Balken Wainwright in MCO years ago. He helped him develop the Silver Lifeblood, but ratted out Balken in the end that he embezzled the funds of MCO to complete his project. He got a huge sum of money for doing so and got even more when MCO decided to sell the Silver Lifeblood as their own invention."

"Why did he leave then?" Allison asked.

"To protect himself and he had other motives for ratting out Balken Steel," Shego continued, glaring at both Langsley and Loraine. "I'm sorry for being blunt, but Langsley isn't your father."

"That's bullshit!" Allison exclaimed.

"Your mother on the other hand is the real deal," Shego said, ignoring Allison's use of curse words. She was on a roll. Everything was falling into place and as she continued her explanation, it was easy to see that she was hitting close to home. She had considered the remote possibility that Langsley had an affair with Loraine while she was still married to Balken Steel, but she wasn't sure of it until now. "Langsley here was having an affair with her back in his MCO days."

"Enough! Don't say-" Loraine pleaded.

"Your so-called father ratted out his boss and best friend so that he could keep his wife," Shego interrupted, seeing Langsley flinch from her bold accusation. The way he reacted clearly said that he was guilty of the act.

Allison's gray eyes blinked. "W-What are you saying? Mom was married before?"

"She was still married when your father whisked her away to live a life with different names," Shego explained, bringing out her own version of the Kimmunicator. "You on the other hand already existed before your mother and Langsley got together. You were in a coma after a freak accident until Langsley decided to use the Silver Lifeblood on you to bring you back to life." Shego shrugged. "A token of his undying love for her I suppose," she guessed.

Allison was silent as she pondered all of this. "But… who am I then?"

"Just change your last name, kid," Shego said, showing the young girl the screen of her computer. It showed the biological data and information of Allison Wainwright.

"Wainwright…" Allison murmured, eyes widening when she saw the dated family photo Shego had discovered a few nights ago. "But… how? Balken Steel… he's my father?"

Shego nodded. "I supposed Langsley and your mother took advantage when you woke up from your coma not remembering a thing." She grimly pocketed her computer and crossed her arms over her chest. "Balken Steel has gone on a rampage to get revenge on MCO for tarnishing his name and allowing his daughter to die before he could use his invention to save her."

Allison didn't say a word to that. Instead, she turned away and ran.

"Allison! Wait!" Loraine shouted and was about to chase after her when Shego stopped her.

"Let her go. We still need to talk," Shego growled. "I don't care that you did this for love," she told them. "Either way, both of you are as much a cause to Balken Steel's rampage. Make amends now."

"But how? He'll kill us if he finds out about us," Loraine whimpered.

Shego looked at the defeated Langsley. "I need him to come back with me. I'm turning him over to Global Justice. Your husband can help with the efforts of removing the Silver Lifeblood from the affected population. He did aid Balken Steel in creating it so I'm quite sure that he can use his knowledge of it to treat the victims."

"And me?" Loraine asked.

"Talk to your daughter," Shego simply said. "Right now she's angry at what you've kept from her. I need you to talk to her and convince her that she could help in stopping her father."

Loraine gasped. "How can you possibly-"

"Allison's _important_!" Shego interrupted. "She's our last resort to stop Balken Steel. If he finds out that his daughter is alive, it might make him rethink his actions and stop his plans."

"She'll never do it…" Loraine whispered. "She's too angry."

"Then you got a lot of talking to do," Shego snapped, pushing Loraine off. "Go find her and start talking!" She watched Loraine do her bidding then turned to Langsley. "Are you going to make things difficult for me?"

Langsley shook his head. "I'll go," he told Shego. "I only ask for protection in case Balken comes to take my head off my body."

"I'll bring it up with Global Justice," Shego replied, taking her communicator and calling for her ride. "You've got a lot of work to do and lot to own up to apparently."

* * *

It was a few hours later and Allison still couldn't stop the flow of tears coursing down her cheeks. She was back at home in her own room considering what she had just found out. At first, she denied everything that she was told earlier. It was just so farfetched and she could not bring herself to believe that she was the daughter of an insane cyborg criminal. She also could not believe that her mother would commit adultery with her real father's best friend. Why did her mother allow herself to do that? Allison looked down at her trembling hands. Why was she still alive? Logan or should she say Shego had said that she was brought back to life through the Silver Lifeblood invented by her father. If that was the case, why wasn't she experiencing the adverse effects of the current victims?

The raven-haired girl was still thinking when she heard a knock on her door. "Go away! I don't want to talk to you!" Allison shouted at the door, knowing that it was her mother.

"Allison, please," Loraine begged from the other side of the door. "We really need to talk."

"Why should we?" Allison demanded angrily. "You and dad have been lying to me for years!"

Loraine sighed and jiggled the locked doorknob. "Since the truth is out, I'm willing to come clean so will you please open your door and let me in?"

Allison thought about it for a moment before finally deciding to allow her mother inside her room. "Explain," she ordered as her mother sat down next to her on her bed.

Loraine eyed her daughter. "It's true that Robert or should I say Neil isn't your true father. I met your real father, Balken Wainwright when I took up a research position at MCO." She wrung her hands nervously on her lap. "He was an up and coming scientist at that time and he courted me when I was assigned to his research team." Her eyes seemingly glazed over remembering the good times. "We got married two years after that and had you a year after."

"How did I get into a coma?"

"You were around seven years old when it happened," Loraine began. "The school bus you were riding got smashed by an out-of-control eighteen-wheeler truck. You were very unlucky because you sat at the wrong side of the bus. Three other children who sat on the same side were killed instantly, but you were miraculously still alive when they rushed you to the hospital."

"But I was too badly injured and in a coma," Allison put in.

"Yes," Loraine agreed. "The doctors told us that you had no chance of waking up. You were considered brain-dead, but your father refused to accept that." A bitter light flickered in her eyes. "After that, he became distant and obsessed with his research. He kept claiming that he was going to invent something that would bring you back."

Allison considered her mother's words. "You all thought that he was becoming mad," she hypothesized.

"Yes," Loraine agreed. "It was just so farfetched and the more he believed in his plan, the stranger and more aloof he became. Things just started to fall apart for us. I tried to reason with him that what he was trying to do was impossible, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted on keeping you on life support while he kept working on his Silver Lifeblood." Loraine gripped her hands together. "Soon, he started living in his laboratory and that's when…" she paused and swallowed a gulp. "… that's when Robert started calling and giving me his attention."

"You were married and entertaining another man's affections!" Allison almost shouted out the accusation.

Loraine nodded her head and looked properly ashamed. "It was wrong, but I just couldn't help it," she told her daughter. "I was so alone and your father was just too obsessed with his work."

Allison shook her head. "But why didn't you tell Balken that I was alive?" Having lost all memory of her real father, she couldn't bring herself to call him dad. "This whole mess wouldn't be happening if you had just told him."

"It was on a whim when Robert suggested trying the Silver Lifeblood on you. There were no willing and conscious patients who wanted to be test subjects. I initially didn't agree because you were going to be used as an unwilling guinea pig." She took hold of Allison's hands and squeezed. "As a mother, I would do anything to keep my daughter alive and if there was a slight chance that Balken's invention might work, I was going to take it."

"And it worked," Allison said. "The only side effect was that I lost all my memories prior to getting into a coma." She tightened her hold on her mom's hands. "But still, you knew that dad and the others were wrongfully claiming and using Balken's invention for their own profit!"

"I knew it," Loraine admitted. "But I felt some need for revenge for what he did to me and besides, he did wrongfully use the organization's funds for the development of his Silver Lifeblood. He got what was coming to him."

"And now, he's a cyborg hell bent on revenge! People are suffering and dying!"

"Robert will do what he can to help those with the tainted Silver Lifeblood in their bodies," Loraine assured her daughter. "They'll be needing your help as well."

"Me?" Allison demanded. "What would they need me for?"

"The authorities handling this matter believe that revealing you to Balken may make him stop his rampage."

Allison shook her head. "I don't think he'll do that. Even if he finds out that I'm alive, he's still going to complete his revenge on MCO."

Loraine looked troubled. "We have to try."

"I'm not endangering myself and our family!" Allison flatly replied. "Why would I want to help my real father who's gone rogue and killed people? He might even decide that I'm not the real deal and end up killing all of us!"

"Shego and the people she works with won't like that," Loraine reasoned with the teenager.

"I don't care!" Allison angrily said, shooting up to her feet. "I'm not doing it and that's that!" She stormed out of the room, leaving her deeply troubled mother behind.

* * *

_The following day..._

* * *

Shego wasn't much of a romantic and she certainly wasn't into being mushy. Her reunion with Kim had been swift and rather passionate. Once she delivered Langsley into the waiting hands of Global Justice, she impatiently received her next set of orders from Betty then made a quick getaway to her apartment. The villainess burst through her apartment door and found Kim on the living room floor doing routine maintenance on her gear. After the stressful and rather hassling trip, Shego suddenly felt rejuvenated upon seeing the ecstatic look on the teen heroine's face.

"Hey Pumpkin," Shego easily greeted, winking at her lover. "Missed me?"

Kim's first response was to scramble to her feet and launch herself into Shego's waiting arms. "What took you so long?" Kim demanded, burying her face into Shego's chest. "You should have been here yesterday! I was worried!"

Shego wrapped her arms around Kim's waist and held her tight. "I got Langsley and it took some time to arrange safe transport for him to Global Justice headquarters," she explained. "I got held up even longer giving my report to the director and being given new orders." Before Kim could get in another word, Shego lifted Kim off the floor and headed for the stairs.

"Wait a minute! Where are we going?"

Shego smirked. "To our bedroom," she simply replied.

"Why?" Kim dumbly asked, silently cursing herself at how her mind seemed to slow down whenever Shego was being… naughty.

The villainess laughed. "I don't think you'd like it if we did our sexy time on the living room floor. The bed is more comfortable after all."

Kim blushed, but didn't protest at all as Shego kicked open the bedroom door and tossed her onto the bed. "It's only been a few days," Kim stammered, turning even redder when Shego began to strip out of her clothing.

Shego grinned and slithered atop Kim's body. "I really dislike having my schedule broken," she wickedly told her younger lover before sealing her lips with a kiss full of yearning.

* * *

Aside from the incessant pangs of hunger, Shego was rather content. Kim was still breathing a little bit hard from the strenuous love-making and pressed herself against her lover's side. It was hard to admit and it might take her awhile to actually say it, but it was getting more difficult to be separated from Kim for long periods. First, she didn't trust anyone else to protect her lover from Balken Steel and second, she missed the physical and emotional intimacy she shared with her.

"Are you alright?" Shego murmured into Kim's ear.

"Just a little bit winded," Kim replied, smiling up at Shego. "You were after all overeager and energetic," she teased, her smile getting wider when she made her lover laugh. "So what happened in San Francisco?"

Shego grunted. "Do we have to talk about serious matters when I just got home?" she complained, barely flinching when Kim slapped her exposed waist. "Oh alright…" she relented. "Things didn't go according to plan. I was supposed to subtly corner Langsley and Loraine by getting close to Allison, but Dementor dropped in unannounced and tried to lay claim on Langsley and his expertise on cybernetics."

"Your cover was blown?" Kim guessed.

"Well, Dementor forced my hand," Shego replied as she soothingly ran her fingers across Kim's bare back. "I couldn't just stand there and let him take Langsley." She consciously stopped herself from revealing to her lover that during her trip she had also discovered that Allison was the real daughter of Balken Steel. "Anyway, Langsley has agreed to help out with the Silver Lifeblood victims."

"But his help won't mean much until we deal with the root of the problem," Kim pointed out.

"We've been preparing for that, Kimmie," Shego remarked. "In the end, we won't be able to stop the Silver Lifeblood from wreaking havoc unless we deal with the mastermind." She exchanged a serious look with her lover and embraced her tightly. "Truthfully, it's most likely going to have to end with Balken Steel's death."

Kim grimaced. "You really think there's no other way?"

Shego thought about Allison, but pushed it to the back of her mind. She was realistic and couldn't rely on a method that wasn't foolproof. She also didn't want to give false hopes to Kim who was practically carrying the world on her already overburdened shoulders. "He's clearly deranged and hell bent on revenge. Langsley will do his part and come up with a way to get the Silver Lifeblood out of the victims, but the only way to stop Balken Steel is to put him down."

"I don't know if I can take a life," Kim whispered.

Shego felt her heart pull painfully against her chest. She knew that Kim would hesitate at taking a life and it would burden the young woman for the rest of her life. "Well, most likely you'll be with me when we have a final showdown with the cyborg." She pressed her lips against Kim's forehead. "If it comes to it, I'll take responsibility."

Kim gasped. "But Shego-"

"If it's to protect you, then I'll do it," Shego interrupted with steely resolve in her voice. "Besides, a hero shouldn't have blood staining her hands."

"And as a villainess, it's alright for you?" Kim quietly asked.

Shego shrugged. "We're expected to be evil and merciless when it comes to life. It shouldn't be a big deal if I'm the one who kills him. My reputation is shot already to begin with," she dryly said.

"There's still a chance that we don't have to take his life," Kim hopefully said.

"Miniscule you mean," Shego pointed out with a yawn. "We'll deal with it when it happens, alright?" The green-hued woman sat up and grabbed her discarded clothes. "In the meantime, I want to eat."

Kim also sat up and began to get dressed. "I'll cook."

"You sure?" Shego asked. "You do know that I cook better than you."

"There goes your ego again," Kim remarked, rolling her eyes.

"You still missed me anyway," Shego called over her shoulder as she made her way out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen.

Kim smiled to herself as she followed her lover. There were plenty of things to worry about with the cyborg at the top of her list, but she could momentarily forget about everything especially with Shego home and back to being her usual snarky self. She certainly needed this downtime with Shego with the uncertain future she was facing.


End file.
